Fibromyalgia is the new Low Back Pain

This post is due to an educational grant from The Raging Server. Blame him that I’m ripping on all of the FibroFakers(tm, ie: TAestP dont steal this).

Usually when I write stuff like this which pisses off a ton of people, there is an implied concept that I’m bitching about one small subclass of people. Unfortunately, some of my readers here just got off the short bus. Example: I made a rant recently about Type-2 diabetics stupidly testing 5 times a day, and got tons of comments by a bunch of well educated Type-1 folks on insulin pumps (obviously well educated, low in common sense). So I have to make the following statement:

This post is about the joke diagnosis known as Fibromyalgia. If, in fact, you do have Fibromyalgia and are on Lyrica, Neurontin, TCA’s, Ibuprofen, and everything BUT SOLELY Vicodin/Valium/Soma, then disregard the rest of this post. I am not talking about you. Unless you want to be publicly made fun of on here, do not write me a 10 page comment bitching me out about your life story, how you are on ALL of these drugs to treat this “condition”, how much of an asshole I am, wah wah wah. I repeat, I am NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU. Other readers of this website will be quick to point out the error of your way.

There are two types of people who have “Fibromyalgia” – Those who actually have something wrong with them, and those who just use it an an excuse to get narcotics. I must say that I have seen a whole lot more of the latter than the former. From just my own experience, it effects the poor more than the rich, and only Vicodin/Valium/Soma combination will ease their pain. To hell with Lyrica or anything else like Ibuprofen.

For those of you NOT in the medical profession. Fibromyalgia is one of those diagnosis which amounts to “You say you are in pain, yet we have no idea what is wrong with you”. Its a crap diagnosis which even the inventor of it says it does not exist. Basically what this comes down to is that it is indeed the new “low back pain” that people use to get narcotics. It indeed is the “low back pain” for the 00’s.

I do a ton of prior auths for patients to get their Norco/”Somas”/”Vico-DAN 7.5’s” covered. Its gotten to the point now that when the patient or doctor responds with “Diagnosis: Fibromyalgia” and I see nothing but narcotics on the patients profile for the last 10 years I want to put down on the prior auth “Diagnosis: Patient has a shitty life and just wants to get high”. For an Incidence of 2% of the general population there has to be something big that ALL of my patients seem to have acquired this condition. Maybe its transmitted by toilet seats or welfare folk having sex with unicorns or leprechauns. Or heres a novel idea, maybe they are just FAKING IT.

I see patients who have something obviously wrong with them, be it Fibro or something. They usually are all crippled up, walk with a cane, are on Depakote/Lyrica/Neurontin/Ibuprofen/other than solely Vicodin/Valium/Soma and get their 30 norco filled every month for breakthrough pain. They don’t bitch about early refills and actually take an active part on their healthcare.

Then I see the very vocal patient who has “Fibromyalgia”. I see them stroll through the parking lot to have the hand of God suddenly inflict them the most unbearable pain once they hit the front doors. They use phrases like “Good Lord Jesus save me from my pain” as they stumble to the counter. Johnny Depp, eat your heart out, these folk have you beat in the acting department. They act like the world is going to end until you say that the doctor denied their pain pills. At that time they stand STRAIGHT UP and YELL about how they have FIBROMYALGIA and are IN PAIN as they march straight out that door on their cell phone. Yeah.. I know.. See why I’m jaded?

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The wikipedia article linked above has a lot of great tidbits about Fibro. My absolute favorite is:

“In addition, many patients experience cognitive dysfunction (known as
“brain fog” or “fibrofog”), which may be characterized by impaired
concentration and short-term memory consolidation, impaired speed of
performance, inability to multi-task, and cognitive overload.”

Yeah, brain fog/fibrofog. Gee, do you think its because of the condition, or the fucking truckload of dope these people get from their doctors to treat this “condition”. The jury is still out on that one.

—

Wait, wait, the NYT article (on page 2) has another gem:

“The potential for weight gain is a special concern because many
fibromyalgia patients are already overweight: the average fibromyalgia
patient in the 2007 survey reported weighing 180 pounds and standing 5
feet 4 inches.”

I wonder if carrying all of that excess weight around has anything to do with your chronic muscle pain? Nothing a little soma and valium wont fix! Oh wait, we should feel sorry for them because they have fibromyalgia. Lets just rename the disease FATSOmyalgia and stop with the candy-coating.

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So yes, I do think Fibromyalgia is a fucking joke. I am not disputing that people have actual legit problems that require medication, but its really hard to take this as a real condition when people are just using this to get tons of free narcotics from the state program. Now I need to prepare for all of the people who didn’t read the disclaimer to send me their life stories and call me an asshole.

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240 thoughts on “Fibromyalgia is the new Low Back Pain”

I take Gabapentin 100mg 3x daily; how does this stuff work? I took all sorts of stuff (including ibuprofen) for this pain I have in my leg (it feels like my skin is on fire); no dice. I take Gabapentin and the burning is gone.
Then I talk to other people that say it has no effect on pain at all. How is it possible that something that seems to just turn the nerves off for me gives no escape to others? Are they all just addicts (which is what I suspect), or is the drug really just hit-and-miss?

Somehow certain diseases mess with the nerves, and in most people I know it’s always the legs. Have you been tested for Lyme Disease? I was diagnosed with Fibro way before the tick bite, but the leg thing(neuropathy) didn’t start till after the Lyme kicked in.

I’ve also talked to a lot of people who can’t take Lyrica or Gavipentin because the side effects are too severe. Did you notice any weight gain on it?

I think the neuropathy itself might be hit or miss, but I agree with the angry pharmacist, if someone is *only* on controls, there’s a problem. Though in my case due to a separate stomach issue I can’t take ibuprofen, although i could really use it with all this inflammation.

Gabapentin works because it mimics the body’s natural substance, GABA, which is the brain and nervous system’s primary means of shutting off nerve signaling. Giving gabapentin basically helps keep your nerve fibers from firing too frequently/too intensely. It gets a lot more complicated than that, but that’s the basic idea.

So true. Many things that work for one won’t work for another. I couldn’t take gabapentin b/c it created super migraines. I’m now able to take Lyrica where I couldn’t before. However, many of the medicines are so expensive and I’m fortunate that my Dr. has samples for me to use. Therefore, I don’t have them filled by my pharmacist – that must leave him wondering why the only thing I have him fill is the vicadin? It’s a terrible disease that has many sides effects – IBS, Chronic Fatigue, Migraines, Endometriosis, to name a few. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy and I’m not sure if it is hereditary or not but my son is only 16 and has CRPS. Another neuromuscular parasympathetic type disorder – with a pain scale higher than childbirth or cancer. He takes nothing for his pain. The Pediatric Center has taught him coping skills and I’m trying this myself. Best wishes to all the Fibro sufferers out there and remember, stress only makes it worse so – don’t let the ignorance of those who aren’t going through it affect you! Stay positive!

My mother was diagnosed nearly twenty years ago with Fibro and her pain is in her hips and the left side of her ribcage. I remember as a little girl (before Lyrica, and we couldn’t afford copays for brand Neurontin back then) massaging her and telling her everything would be okay. It was awful, being a kid and doing most of the housework and cooking for my dad and younger sisters because my mother hurt so much she simply couldn’t do it sometimes. After being in retail pharmacy for four years now (I miss long term care-sigh) it really pisses me off to see these crackheads come in and use this disease as an excuse to get fucked up or make their Escalade payments. I want to scream and sometimes I’m so infuriated I make my coworkers wait on these assholes because I don’t trust what would come out of my mouth.
Thanks for this post, TAP! Fatsomyalgia was priceless…

Yeah, the few people I’ve met with fibro have the same things in common. They’re overweight and they’re very focused on themselves. Oh, yeah, and they’re all women. I’m a woman, and I could stand to lose about 15 pounds, and after a 12 hour day I feel so crippled I can barely stagger to the fridge to grab a beer before putting my feet up. Does that mean I have fibro? Or is it just because I’m getting older and that’s the way it is?

My goodness, what a limited life you’ve led if that’s your perception of fibromyalgia. I’m 5 foot tall, skinny (45kg), highly educated (Masters degree) and have had fibromyalgia for several years (as has my Mum who is similarly proportioned and educated). I don’t drink alcohol, I’ve never smoked or taken illicit drugs and have aimed to avoid anything stronger than aspirin or ibuprofen whenever I can. I eat well and I exercise, within the limits of my energy. I’m focused on my work (in community services) and my family.

I have fibromyalgia. I get fibrofog (definately not chemically induced), pain and fatigue. And sleep problems. And IBS. Not such a nebulous condition for those who suffer with it. I have embraced it, learnt what I can about it, and am learning to manage the symptoms.

Getting older doesn’t automatically mean suffering pain. If you’re staggering to the fridge for your beer I have several suggestions. First, give up the beer and drink water, you don’t need to have it fridge cold and it will help with the weight problem. Second, look at your own work priorities, 12 hour days aren’t healthy. Finally, stop whining about those who do have it being self-absorbed and look at your own attitude and level of compassion.

Frankly, people who claim it doesn’t exist ought to be kept sleep deprived for a few weeks… which the research suggests will develop fibromyalgia symptoms even in healthy people. Or have a case of the flu that lasts for four years. Perhaps then you will develop some compassion.

Really, you call yourself compassionate, but wish people would be sleep deprived? I have been diagnosed with it and refused the diagnosis, which is why I have a life and a husband who doesn’t hate me for making him do everything. Muscles ache, that is what fibromyalgia means. If you cease movement because of pain that is not real (percieved, but does NO DAMAGE) eventually you will have severe muscle pain. I don’t wish you pain, but have a “well” person sit and do nothing for a week or two….they will be in pain, even with sleep.

It’s two totally different kinds of pain. Don’t listen to people who don’t know what they’re talking about.

I know people who move and work everyday and are in constant agony from fibro. No matter what they’re doing. And it’s exactly the same situation if they haven’t been able to move as much for a few weeks.

Maybe you would be fine with living with constant agony, but not everyone is. And it can be especially hard for people with severe fibro to do that when they can barely move.

So if you accept a diagnosis instead of ignoring your doctor your don’t have a life?

If you had ever really been given that diagnosis you would know it’s more than just muscle ache. I’m 29 years old and started having Fibro symptoms when I was 25 and had never heard of the damn thing. The muscle ache from doing a lot of moving around, exercise and etc, is leaps and bounds different from the the ache after. I was never able to not move from pain after a hard days work before fibro, after it I barely have to do anything to get it to be painful and it’s an extremely different kind of pain.

You’re talking about people moving their bodies, why not exercise your mind because you need it desperately. I don’t blame KC for saying what she said (and she never said she was compassionate, learn to read), because ignorant people like you and OP are blissfully ignorant and terrible to people and need a taste of what it’s like. What KC said is true about fibro, pain from it equals no sleep, which means more pain, and actual doctors, (AKA people who know what they’re talking about AKA not you).

I want to know how you would get the diagnosis if you wouldn’t complain about it in the first place by your account. Either way, misdiagnosis’ happen, I know a 14 year old that was misdiagnosed with ‘sinus headache’ and it turned out to be stage 4 brain cancer.

Because of doctor’s like you and OP who ignore people and dismiss them, I could have lost my sight because of a cyst in my own head, and had to wait a year to find out I had 3 herniated discs because my doctor kept ignoring my complaints of pain after a slip and fall I had, even after I had PT and the physical therapist said if the pain came back to have an MRI. She assumed I was just inactive and needed to move more and go through PT again.

When they found out the problem they told me that was probably one of the worst things she could have suggested because the herniation was so severe.

So just because you say you were diagnosed, it doesn’t always mean you have it. You know nothing of what you’re talking about.

People will do anything to have a crutch in life. It’s almost human nature anymore to demand uniqueness, be it through perceived illnesses or extreme outward actions or appearance. I honestly believe fibromyalgia is a psychosomatic, mentally-derived disease.

As for your argument, You’re assuming people are fat beer drinkers. That shouldn’t even be worth a rebuttal, but since it’s laughably ignorant I thought I’d mention it. It’s not a lack of compassion on our part, it’s a lack of evidence on yours. Are you saying simply because you SAY you’re in pain, it’s to be believed? With no outward evidence other than what you tell us, is that a valid diagnosis? No muscle wasting, no elevated cpk, ckmb, troponin. No elevated vital signs. No outward signs/symptoms you’re in pain other than you telling us? That’s not science. That’s not medicine. Thats a sad person who needs a crutch and a few narcs to get them through the day.

Thank you KC!!
Me & my agonizing pain, flu-like body aches, whole body skin sensitivity, confused, overwhelmingly exhausted, but, very conscientious about a healthy diet & daily exercise and meditation…. we thank you!!
By the way, I have a Doctorate degree and, while my patient population does consist of many with questionable diagnosis’,
I treat them first with compassion, then use the medical judgement and responsibilities that come with the oath I took upon graduation!!
** I did read the disclaimer above, but find the mocking, disbelieving categoral statements to be so offensive, ignorant and demeaning, that I am exercising my medical professional rights to give a perspective that, unfortunately, is all too real and disruptive to my daily life, and that of my lovng husband & 10-year old son (who provides the laughter & sports activity to keep me moving, agonizing, sleepless day or not <3 )
Having compassion for those worse off than you, for whatever reason, might be a life-skill that you'll appreciate someday. Your patients will appreciate it now.
God bless & good health to you, Angry Pharmacist 🙂
Sincerely,
Dr. H.

Nothing you said sounds remotely like someone with a medical degree. I’ve never heard ANY MD generically call their degree “a Doctorate degree”. If you’d been through medical school and worked as a physician, you wouldn’t use “diagnosis” with an apostrophe at the end incorrectly like you did…you would have already written the words “diagnosis” and “diagnoses” enough times, both in school and work, not to sound so pseudo-literate in medical terminology. Doctors also don’t go on about their “medical professional rights” (there is no such thing) when what they really mean is ‘free speech’, and say they “use the medical judgement”, which is not a real term in the medical world. Additionally, I can’t think of one medical professional I know, of any kind, who would conflate this article to a lack of compassion, as you did in your final point.

Put simply, nothing you wrote passes the sniff test of a medical professional. You spell common words incorrectly, you use phrases that don’t exist and aren’t in common usage, and you fail to objectively view the meaning of this article.

You sound like a fibro-nut shilling as a supposed physician to try to refute this entirely logical and astute commentary and legitimize your false diagnosis. The way you speak is exactly the way patients with limited medical knowledge often speak to their GP when they feel that their self-diagnosis must surpass the GPs education and experience.

Long story short: I’m not buying it, and I doubt any other medical professionals are either.

I use to complain about my lazy and complaining aunt because my Mom was always in pain, but didn’t carry on so. Than I found out I had it. It wasn’t that I was worked into the ground doing what Mom (who was finally diagnosed with Fibromyalgia) couldn’t. I also developed IBS, restless leg syndrome, almost unbearable and unexplained pain, and chronic fatigue (among tons of other problems). I was 9 and still had to do everything at home all by myself. Mom said it was just growing pains and I accepted it even though by bedtime I would dissolve into tears. My grades took a tumble, too. Now, almost 60 years later (I was diagnosed at 20) we find out my son has it, too. Through the years I’ve heard family members criticize several of our ancestors, mostly female, but some male, for being lazy and always complaining. Why am I angry? Because those who don’t have Fibromyalgia have no idea what they are talking about just like I didn’t when I accused my aunt of faking it. I’m ashamed.If you don’t have it, shut up. It’s bad enough trying to exist with it without others calling you a lazy hypochondriac or some stupid pharmacist calling you a drug addict. Some of them might be, but who made you judge and jury.

Really? Because all the women I know with fibro are average weight. And when you have any chronic illness that need constant monitoring, you need to be more focused on yourself sometimes because of the nature of diseases and the connection with body and mind.

(Sorry to tag onto your reply, but I couldn’t find where to reply to the main story.) But, I have remained at an average weight and still have it. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia when I was in my mid twenties. The rheumatologist that diagnosed me said that there was no medicine that would help and to start excercising to help ease the joint pain that I originally thought was related to arthritis. It’s been over twenty years and I take ibuprofen once in a while and try to keep excercising to relieve the pain. If the name fibromyalgia had not been given to explain the symptoms I have had over the past two decades I may not have been able to improve my situation. So please don’t say it’s not a good diagnosis. For those on medication to ease the pain, I am sorry that other options have not helped you.

Fibromyalgia is like bipolar disorder or ADD/ADHD in that so many people use it as an excuse for bad behavior or irresponsibility, people are less likely to take it seriously when somebody really does have those conditions, for which no X-ray or blood test exists.

fibromyalgia is simply a diagnosis/method of providing narcotics for people who don’t need them, which i couldn’t care less about. If junkies could get their dope for cheap we’d all be better off.I’m a diabetic with foot pain/numbness that, amazingly, goes away when I control my blood sugar levels. Imagine that!

I have chronic fatigue syndrome. Another totally fake diagnosis when doctors have no fucking clue why you feel like shit.
I have adderal and provigil scrips. What would you think if I came through the door?

I think you should stare at some more electronics at 130 in the morning and try to sleep. Turn off your shit and go to bed. No tv, no computer. Lay in the dark and i bet you can sleep. Quit making excuses for your own inability to act like an adult.

Dear Angry Pharmacist,
Thank you for distilling my concerns in this area….
It gets even worse when only “pethidine” or only “injectables” or only “oxycotton candy*” works… We don’t tend to use much Vicodin “down under”.
Benedict
* See Placebo Magazine – also Doug Farago uses the diagnosis SLS or “shitty life syndrome”

When I was working at the personal injury firm, you could pretty well guarantee (given the same kind of crash) that the person who was on welfare was going to be in a lot more treatment for a lot longer with claims of far more pain, when compared to the person who had a job.
It didn’t take all that long to see that people who had a job and a life would basically suck it up – yeah, it hurt, but they had to earn the paycheck. So they took the pain pills, concentrated on their work, and did what they could to feel better as soon as possible. They didn’t really dwell on the pain, because they didn’t have time.
The people who had nothing but time, on the other hand, would dwell on that pain. And within a fairly short time after a fairly minor crash, the person who was already unemployed at the time of the crash would be blaming their crash injuries for everything that was bad in their life – including their lack of a job.

I tapped a car during grid lock rush hour and she went to hospital and all the rest. She got $15K for her pain and suffering. The medtech came over to me and bitch and moaned about this happening all the time in the city yet in the county where the educated employed ….. people live the sue ratio is 1/3-1/10 that of the city. I was with a friend who side door opened up and hit the bumper of a truck(doing 3-5mph no damage at all no scratches), their were people around and in the vehicle and I saw them on the cell phone and pointing to their necks as they laughed and waited for the call to connect. I told my buddy to punch it and get out of there and back home. he did as I said (yes I was partner to a tap and run). They got tag # and cops showed up and left cause we ignored them. There where 7 law suites against my friend who’s reckless destructive driving put both passengers and driver in the hospital and 4 other people whom were not in the car also were injured (every single one had multiple past law suites for all sort of things, most settled outside court for $500-$5000. 2 girls who were not in the vehicle had 17 and 29 past suites all with the same lawyer. With no damage on either vehicle the insurance fought the suites even though there were multiple witness(3 came after the cop was already there) All but 1 drop the case within a few days after the insurance said the were going to fight it. The one girl who was not in the car and had 29 past cases lawyer kept at it for about 2 months and dropped the case. Had we obeyed the law and not ran the 3 in the vehicle would have fake injury and gotten a settlement cause we would have admitted to hitting them, yet b/c there was no evidence and no injury they could not get any money. So, by breaking the law and doing a hit and run(which is a big deal and I don’t want others to do it) we prevented a misuse of medical personal time and medical equipment as well as saving tens of thousands of dollars. If you do tap a bumper I was told to drive on b/c that is what bumpers were made for, and everyone knows what a tap is, if you dent anything stop.

I have fibromyalgia and am one of the good people you refer to, I take Lyrica and have never asked for drugs early. I am involved in my care and behave responsibly, and politely to healthcare professionals.
I agree with you about the drug seekers. I hate the way they act. They damage and denigrate the responsible people with a diagnosis of fibro, making us a joke.
I wish they’d find some other malady to use as an excuse for drugs.

My wife has fibromyalgia, and fits the mold perfectly. Lyrica, boats of motrin, and the occasional flexeril, but who would take valium for fibro? >.< I knew one patient who had “fibro” and the doc had pulled out all the stops: Per month, oxycontin 40 & 80, oxycodone 30, soma, ativan, duragesic 100 (2 patches at a time), ms cont 60, MSIR 15, valium and norco. Brand name EVERYTHING, per the doctor. She came in one time and said she hit a pedestrian on the way to the pharmacy. Apparently the “DO NOT DRIVE” stickers don’t count for her.
But as for actual fibro, cox-inhibitors and gaba drugs seem to be working better than the lortab my wife takes once a week.

Well, “Valium” (diazepam) does have muscle relaxant properties — and as such, functions as an adjunct analgesic and anxiety medication (including anxiety that may be related to pain, such as aches and pains associated with fibromyalgia; anxiety that tends to accompany fibromyalgia, and as a sedative to help with sleep; headaches; etc. It is “similar” to “Ativan” (lorazepam) —one of the medications that you have mentioned.

You are absolutely right about Fibromyalgia. I’ve been working in pharmacy for 6.5 years, and this past year fibro has really been BIG. I do believe it is related to weight. I know someone who was “diagnosed” with “fibromyalgia”. The doctor suggested a “special diet” to help with the pain. Basically, this diet was low fat, low sugar, lots of fresh vegetables, lots of water…. You know a healthy diet. This doctor is a very smart guy, he knows telling people it’s a “special diet” works. She ended up losing about 40 pounds and amazingly enough her “fibromyalia” is better. She is still convinced it’s not the weight loss but the diet that cured her.

i have to disagree, my dx of fibro was 15 years ago… at the beginning of developing I had a full ride to college on an athletic scholarship… trust me, at 5ft 5in. weighing 110 lbs, weight was not the issue. I do agree that being over weight likely makes all the symptoms worse, but couldn’t we say that about so many other health issues? I have always been thankful I don’t struggle (too much) with my weight, I can’t imagine how much harder things would be.

I have Lupus, which causes some pretty severe pain. I am a semi-frequent reader on here, but never have posted. I just have one question if you have time to answer it:
I always see your posts about the Vicodin/Soma addicts. I actually take Norco and Soma for the pain, along with tons of advil, Imuran, Plaquenil, and recently some Voltaren (I think it’s called) cream to put on the most-sore joints. My point is, I seriously hurt, and my labs prove there is definitely something going on (high CPK, etc 🙂
And the norco/soma combo helps more than anything else I’ve tried; and I have tried a LOT of others. My doctor even prescribed the Fentanyl patches (which made me horribly sick), and Oxycontin (which is stronger, but still makes me sick). I’ve also gone through Skelaxin, baclofen, klonopin, robaxin, and a few other muscle relaxant type meds, but again, they just didn’t help much. Point being, I “could” easily get stronger (or…..higher “street” value drugs if that were my goal), but I don’t like them – I’ve at least for now settled on the ones mentioned.
If I could change 1 thing, it would be to make the Soma less tiring. To offset the fatigue, my doctor prescribes Ritalin (again, another more “off label” use I think, but it works). I am not “wired” or “high” from it, it just helps me get through the day.
I have private insurance and pay for all of my medicine and doctor visits, it is hard, but I do it. And yes, I go to 1 pharmacy for everything, and the same 2 pharmacists there are always nice and friendly. But, I do always wonder if they make jokes and such after I leave, I really have no idea honestly.
So my question is, do you look at someone like me as a horrible addict when coming into your store? With those 3 medicines (Norco, Soma, Ritalin), I know the red flags probably come up somewhat often. But I’m also doing everything in my power to knock down the root of the cause (with the Imuran and plaquenil mainly).
To the point, I would honestly like to know what you and the other pharmacists and techs that also read this think about people like me — when I go in to pick these things up, do I have a nickname? 🙂
Do pharmacists mostly think that if you are filling both hydrocodone AND soma that there is no legitimate use? Again, I really am curious here, not mad or trying to start a war.

I have sle also had cause severe fatigue, strokes, etc. i see a pain mng dr. and go to the same pharmacy every mo. they are some of the nicest people…i agree with the other pharmacists and think if youre trying to fill scripts early or ” lose them” thats a problem I also take 10mg oxycodone and soma ive been on the same thing for yrs. I did jusy switch from plaquenil to benlysta and its working great you really should give it a try..

I can’t speak for anyone else, but if you are like the other pain management patients/regular.. I probably would think no less of you than the patient getting Valtrex for the rest of their life, or a patient on Marinol. I don’t judge them.. it’s only the patients who are constantly harrassing their doctors, coming in early to refill, yelling at staff when they can’t, always claiming “they lost/or had stolen” their Xanax, their dog died and thats why they have to take 4 a day, not 1.. yada yada.
We have several patients who always fill once a month, same time, are considerate, nice to talk too.. and happen to be on one or several pain medications. Do I think badly of them? No.

Exactly. Do not be “rude or demanding” to the staff. Never claim that a prescription has been “lost or stolen”. Never request an “early refill”, even because you are “going out of town”. Remember to that 30 days is “30 CALENDAR DAYS” from the last date that you actually came to LAST PICK UP your prescription. Be courteous and polite to the pharmacists and pharmacy staff, ALWAYS. If something seems unbelieve, ASK– but ask politely. It can be hard to be patients, but DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK! If in line, don’t come when you’re in a rush. If you need to have something explained, and you’ve been waiting for some time, and told you cannot get your prescription filled, and that they need to call your doctor, then POLITELY ask, may I speak to the pharmacist, when you get a chance? And where should I wait? Same with on the phone! Use a calendar.

Izzyred, people do not take Imuran and Plaquenil for fun. We know that, and we know a person in legitimate pain when we see one.
The best description I heard of the difference between drug dependence and drug addiction came from a “60 Minutes” episode. If you are addicted to drugs, your quality of life goes down. If you are dependent on drugs, your quality of life goes up.
I’ve never forgotten that and tell people that all the time.
It broke my heart to see elderly people with arthritis or cancer or some other painful condition come in and ask if they were going to become a junkie because they take Oxycontin.

You have a valid point…and all the “frequent flyers” are a pain to us all…is Tramadol a controlled substance where you live? It’s not, here, AND SHOULD BE!! WE ALL feel your pain! Just the fact that i have to answer the phone on average 20 times per day, per addict…waiting to see if their Soma has been approved is a HUGE waste of my time, and distraction from my work.
That being said,
I still can’t figure out why you have to ridicule the children with ‘special needs’ to get your point across.
You seem like an intelligent young man, why can’t you express yourself without calling someone a ‘retard’ or wondering if they ‘got off the short bus’
In case you haven’t noticed, our children are NOT drug addicts…they don’t scream at you every month. They just go about their business trying not to hear the comments that NARCISSISTIC pharmacists use. What are you, A TWELVE YEAR OLD GIRL LIVING IN THE VALLEY?
Please don’t compare MY CHILD to the general addicted public or the scum of the earth, who afford you a paycheck….she and others like her are undeserving of it. I don’t see you using the N word..or any other hate word directed at a certain race, or group of people. Using the R word…falls into the same catagory…HATE CRIME!
Buy a Thesaurus! And if you don’t want to deal with the Fibros…then DON’T! Send their business to another pharmacy…one that can handle things professionally. I mean, really…we are professionals, right?
The way angrier than you girl..
20 years in the biz AND a mom!

I take issue with with those becoming high and mighty when someone uses the word,’retarded.’ Words change in meaning and context with every generation. Saying,”Someone came off the short bus,” Is now a figure of speech. Whether you will admit it or not I am sure you use the words, ‘Lame’ and ‘Gay.’ Then you start generalizing all preteens who,’Live in the valley.’ So knock off the double standards please.

1) You are correct about the “R word”. In fact, the diagnosis has been changed to “intellectually disabled”; or, more appropriately, “individuals w/ intellectual disabilities”. The only exception is, for example, in certain contexts, such as: “This substance, when added to the soil, retards the growth of these particular plants.” Also, note that, for example, referring to, say, a ridiculous or wasteful or idiotic practice as: “retarded” – is VERY OFFENSIVE — and should very avoided!
2) You wrote this message in 2008. As of date (2017), the drug, “tramadol” ;
(brand names: 1) “Ultram” ; and: 2) “Ultracet” (tramadol with acetaminophen) —is Federally Controlled DEA Schedule IV controlled substance.

Pain/mind management–a tricky slope, especially for the weak minded or those stuck in an automated rut. I know this chick with tangible back injuries (happened with witnesses, x-rays show evidence) who doesn’t take any pain medication at all. Some days are good (she doesn’t walk with any signs of symptoms) and some days are bad (people ask her why she walks so painfully slow and disjointed).
…I’ve got no life story, but I’d like to fuck a Leprechaun–funny thing is, I’m afraid I’d get the short end of the stick–no offense to Leprechauns and all; I know it’s not their fault they’re so um, small…

izzyRed, if you have Imuran and Plaquenil in your profile, we know you have a “real” disease. It’s the individuals who have pain meds/controlled rx’s only and repeatedly try to get them filled early that draw a pharmacist’s ire. No matter how much TAP rants about the anger landmine that is retail pharamcy, most pharmacists feel the same way but are actually quite reasonable individuals. It’s just the repeated abuse that drives us over the edge 🙂
My aunt had lupus, my 2nd cousin has lupus, I know it’s a heavy burden and thus, seeing immunosuppressant drugs any reasonable pharmacist would never give you any crap, especially if you just *talk to us*. Pharmacists like to stay informed on their patients because, maybe… just maybe… we can pick up on something your doctor missed.

Thanks for answering everyone. While I’ve never worked in a pharmacy, I came across this site once by accident and found it entertaining to hear from the other side of the counter. From the stories everyone posts on here, it sounds like a true nightmare that requires a lot of work that just shouldn’t be needed – not by the pharmacy anyways…
I don’t want to go totally off-topic here, but if the prescription writing process could just be more advanced with technology [not with faxes being sent back and forth, which I may be wrong, but it seems like that’s the normal way the majority of stuff gets sent]…that pharmacists could use the huge amount of knowledge to actually HELP patients and not have to waste what seems to be a LOT of time sifting out bogus prescriptions, etc.
I’ve gotten more help from my pharmacist at times where I feel like I should be paying him just as a doctor; he should seriously at least be able to bill my insurance for personalized attention — I usually get more advice from him/her than I do from my doctor, and my doctor makes $150 for 15 min or less of time.
But again, I have no clue what I’m talking about, and this probably sounds quite naive.
One thing I forgot to mention before is, I do refill most of my medicines around the 7-6 day mark. Mainly because at the end of the year, I get about a month’s worth of ‘free’ medicine before my yearly copay restarts……even with my insurance, my copay is going up a lot every year and every little bit helps, helps me at least — but I honestly never really thought [selfishly I guess] about if it causes a burden for the pharmacist?
The only exception to the reasoning above is for the angry-pharmacist-infamous Soma 🙂
I have been taking it for years, and with my condition the pain goes up/down. When it’s bad, my neurologist said I can take 2 at once, with up to 6 per day. Yet, my prescription is only written for 4/day…which obviously causes it to run out early. And again from reading this blog, I know that this is just one of of those REALLY ANNOYING things…right?
[also for a reason unbeknownst to me, he always makes it for 100 tablets, which is 25 days…he doesn’t do this with anything else, always has with this one — is this some “rule”?]
Anyways, this is getting too long yet again, sorry 🙂
My point being that for the Soma, in the bad weeks/months when I take 6/day it runs out about 12-13 days early. This is one of those things that makes me feel really awkward and like a street addict — when I have to call for the early refill. My pharmacists have always filled it, of course I have to pay cash with it being that early [but I don’t know any alternative], but it makes me really stressed out to even ask and I always feel like I am doing something very wrong. And again, I don’t know what they think, or if that is a huge ‘red flag’? I am not taking more than what my doctor specifically told me I can when things get worse, but of course the pharmacist only knows and sees what is written on the paper. Is this a common problem? I have mentioned it to my doctor, and he always says “ok”, but then the refill comes up and it’s for the same thing….I honestly don’t know how to handle this situation, or more directly for the people that are on this board — how common and/or problematic is this?
Thanks everyone for the previous replies. I don’t expect that anyone will read this far this time, but would love to hear any comments good or bad.

izzy Red,
Don’t feel like a street addict. It IS actually a very common problem (doctors telling patients to take more than what has been prescribed). Just have your doctor write your prescription indicating the maximum amount of medication that you could possibly take per day. A sample prescription could look like this: Soma 350 mg 1 tablet 4 times a day or as directed (up to 6 tablets per day) “insert quantity here”…

to izzyred…. holy god! how can you take 6 or more of those things per day? do you realize that just because a script allows you to take that many, that you don’t have to take that many? for things like soma (coma)… you really should taper down and try not to take more than 2 or 3 a day.
My doctor prescribed those for me once and I was only able to take half a soma at night before bed to ease the muscle spasms whilst I slept. It took me 4 months to get through the one small bottle, and even then I didn’t finish them. I brought them back to the RX for disposal.
Do you know why I refused to get them refilled? Because when I would wake the next morning, I would feel as though I had been out drinking the night before. No thanks!
People on these somas and the like need to take better control over their health. If a doctor gives you a script for something, it doesn’t mean that you have to take it. Read and research before getting yourself into a nice mess! Ask for alternatives. Ask more questions!!
As for fibro, it is a load of crap! I’ve seen so many people who claim to have this so called “disease” and it makes me throw up a little in my mouth to see these people ham it up with their pain. And yes, they act disoriented… they have drugs in their systems!!

As someone WITH fibro, your post makes me sick. Fibro is a disease and any rheumatogist worth his weight can map it and show you what it feels like. I don’t know where you or TAP live, but it takes the avg fibro patient 4 years to finally get diagnosed and begin to get treatment.

izzyRed,
When you’re at your appointment, when it’s time for the doc to write that Soma out — tell them right then and there to make it for 180, for 6/day. If you do that, and then have to have the pharmacy request more refills down the line, the correct quantity will be there, and it will be correct. Tell them to write it as 2 tablets every 4 hours as needed. You have to make it clear to them that if they instructed you that you may take up to 6 a day, that it’s important to note that on the prescription so there’s no problems for you when you need a refill. Tell them you frequently have to pay for it to be early when you’re in your bad pain periods, and that it can be a financial burden. You have to make it plain to them that this is how it is going to be, because this is what you told me to do. Typically, it will end up sinking in, and the doc will fix the problem.

Note: You wrote this in 2008. However, some time in 2012; Soma (carisoprodol) became a DEA Schedule IV Federally Controlled Substance; so doctors are not likes as willing to prescribe such large quantities at a time.

victoria,
Yes, I realize I don’t have to take whatever is prescribed 🙂
But I do take their advice and at least give it a try if there is something wrong with me. In this case, it’s the pain. I’ve gone through tens of different medications, including stronger painkillers [those have very bad side effects for me that unless things progress, I want to stay away from] and every other muscle relaxant type medicine my doctor knows of…
But in the end, those are the 2 that work for me. The soma does make me tired if taking it without food. Also as mentioned, I take Ritalin to help offset the tiredness part. I guess it’s like nulling that part of the side effects out. I was leery at first [I always do lots of research online about the medicines before taking them to find out all I can] because I thought it was just used for hyperactive children. I am 34.
But after playing around with the dosage of the Ritalin to get it right, I just take it along with the Norco and Soma. While that may sound odd, as I don’t know or think it’s normally used like this — it does work. The painkiller effects help a lot, without being tired. I am really thankful for these 2 medicines, like I said before, stronger pain medications like Oxycontin and Fentanyl made me quite sick and much stronger side effects. With the oxycontin, I held out for 3 days just to give it a fair shot. But at 40mg (was prescribed up to 60mg twice daily) — it made me just useless. I couldn’t work or do anything, plus the pain was still there for the most part. The fentanyl made me so sick, I didn’t get past 1.5 days…
I have no clue why ANYONE would want to take that stuff for ‘fun’. There was absolutely nothing fun about it at all. Nor is there with my current medicines — but it lets me get through each day, and hope every morning when I get up that it will keep working.
I guess different medications are processed by different people differently, and give different effects. I can see what you mean about the tiring part, but choosing between being a bit tired sometimes versus hurting like hell; I’ll take the tired any day 🙂

I think that fibromyalgia can actually be caused by the seating position in an escalade, maybe that is why so many of these patients drive them. Its really a chicken or the egg type of scenario.
Damn, are we still debating the use of the word retard? Let me ask you have you ever uttered the phrase “that is so gay”? Honestly, lets not be a bunch of vaginas here!!! This isn’t intended to be a PC site.

I totally agree with your post about fibromyalgia being a bogus diagnosis, and that doctors diagnose this “condition” when they have no idea what is causing the patient’s pain.
However, I feel the need to remind you and other readers of this website, blog, whatever to realize that pharmacists are NOT doctors, they have nowhere near the education level needed to be a doctor, and they are NOT qualified to hand out medical advice neither at work nor the internet. It is the pharmacist’s job to dispense the medications ordered by the physician, nothing more, nothing less. It is the doctor’s ass on the line, not yours. You are merely doing your job.
Obviously, if there is an obvious error or a question regarding dosage or frequency, then a call should be made to the doctor’s office to verify the prescription. Other than that, it is not your job to try and diagnose patients from behind your retail sales cash register.
I think that maybe some of my opinion on this matter might center around some of the news stories I have read regarding some pharmacists decisions to not sell the “morning after” pill, which personally offends me. It is not my pharmacist’s job to push his/her religious beliefs on anyone seeking a legal drug, no matter what it is or what it is used for. In my opinion, if a pharmacist refuses and/or tries to impede my access to a certain drug based on their beliefs then they are in the wrong profession and need to find a new one STAT.

“pharmacists are NOT doctors, they have nowhere near the education level needed to be a doctor, and they are NOT qualified to hand out medical advice neither at work nor the internet. It is the pharmacist’s job to dispense the medications ordered by the physician, nothing more, nothing less. It is the doctor’s ass on the line, not yours. You are merely doing your job.”

The fibromyalgia shit is the biggest pile of bullshit except for ADHD or any hyperactivity disorder!!! Who makes this shit up ??

Oh, and for the thing about the pharmacist not having the education and responsibilities to give medical advice….I have plenty of education and I don’t want to give anyone medical advice. Really, I just want to do my dispensing job. I want to help the doctors and medical residents when they have questions about drugs though. However, I am totally sick of the white lab coat and spending my entire shift on the medical floor. No, I am not a medical doctor. I didn’t want to be a doctor. If I did, I would have went to medical school.

Also, as for the “morning after” pill, I have absolutely no problem whatsoever dispensing this !!!! I honestly believe that any pharmacist that does have a problem needs to go find another fucking job. You dispense, so fucking dispense or get the fuck out !!!!

My dad works in a pain department where about half of the staff are all obsessed with “fibro,” and the remaining half continue to do real research and refer to fibromyalgia as “bored housewive’s disease.” I’ve always found it apt. “I’m sore, things hurt, ibuprofen doesn’t help. I need the attention and the shiny diagnosis of an Official Disease!”
You hit some nails on the head, for sure. And you were totally prepared for what would come your way. I just found this blog in the midst of a particularly disillusioning segment of my pharm tech training, and well… it’s (perhaps perversely) comforting to know that I’m not the only one that’s pissed.

I’m damn glad you’re not my pharmacist. Your palpable joy in belittling ill people sickens me. With your your surplus of contempt and obvious lack of compassion for your customers, perhaps you’d do well to choose another profession. Oh, the money’s too good? I thought so.
You, sir, do a great disservice to those who are truly ill by lumping them in with those not sick but engaged in drug seeking behaviour. It’s telling that you can’t tell the difference.
There are many legitimate reasons why people who are truly are ill with Fibromyalgia would come to your Angry Pharmacy to get any of the ‘scripts you in your infinite and angry wisdom have deemed inappropriate to dispense.
1. Their ‘script for pain meds i.e. Vicodin et al was written by a doctor who, like the vast majority doctors, has no idea how to properly treat Fibromyalgia. Vicodin, Oxycontin and the like do not work for Fibro.
2. They are in a tremendous amount of constant pain.
3. Their often frustrated and assuredly harried doctor gives them pain meds to shut them up.
4. See #2.
5. Because frequently (and understandably) folks with Fibromyalgia are extremely anxious, some Doctors prescribe Valium and other tranquilizers to these patients. You’d be scared too upon learning you have a largely misunderstood, highly debilitating illness that is both highly variable and extremely difficult to treat. You may not have ever even heard of Fibro.
5. When the treatment and drugs don’t work, anxiety kicks into a higher gear.
6. See #2. Again.
Get a grip, Angry. Your ignorance is astonishing. And blaming the sick is a coward’s move. It’s also wildly misdirected animosity. Isn’t it the doctor who actually writes the prescriptions and not the patient?

I think it’s interesting that rheumatologists, the people who have far more expertise, education and knowledge than you could ever dream of having, do believe that fibromyalgia exists. Yet you attempt to dazzle us with your superior knowledge of a disease you don’t know enough about to even describe competently. And please, go on blaming other people for your nasty attitude; it’s always fun to watch adults pretend to be back in grade school with the “they started it!” excuse for their behavior.

My thoughts exactly! This pharmacist needs to take a trip to med school, or a stroll through google and discover the truth about firbo.
Also, what about the ones who had the brain fog prior to accepting their diagnosis and the pain meds? The ones who set in denial for years? I truly do feel sorry for your sad, angry soul. You will probably never take the time to choose happiness, which is simply heart-breaking. I live in pain. Constant pain. Pain that is accompanied by an elevated heart rate, extreme anxiety/panic, GERD (almost with many, many other stomach/intestinal issues), hormonal imbalanaces, A.D.D., constant (at times crippling) fatigue, and still, I choose empathy, compassion and most importantly, happiness!! I have an almost 4 year old child to raise. Don’t think my job is easier than yours, because you are wrong. I thought being a stay at home mom was easy once upon a time. This was before having a child. It is, by far, the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I pray daily for her to be at the age of attending school so I can work around adults again. YES, with pain.
For the record, I can’t take cymbalta, lyrica, or anything of the like. Highly sensitive to ssri/ssnri’s. They make me want to murder people. Mostly, people such an “angry”, who should really call themselves a sad, lonely, lost soul who needs to find a new career. I bet Angry isn’t married, and doesn’t have children. Only a lonely, hateful, unloved soul would be so willing to share their nasty anger with the world. Yet us “fibro fakers” are the self absorbed ones? HA! I digress!
Get a life, and choose happiness. You will be stunned by the change in your attitude once you make the choice to not let your emotions be charged by the actions of others. Because, in reality, all you are doing is allowing yourself to be controlled by others. Giving them permission to anger your heart. Which, in the end, only leaves you to blame for your current angered state.

I realize this post is somewhat old, but just in case someone should stumble across this article as I have…I will comment and say: Touche Liesl and C. Tay!

I’m a biochemist and this angry pharmacist obviously belongs to a fading class of ignorant scientists who continue to blame every illness a woman has on “feminine hysteria.” As science has been dominated in the past by men, Harvard, Oxford,Cambridge, and Mayo have all agreed science has spent little time researching illnesses that affect primarily women, and spent more time on dismissing anything that doesn’t affect the male population. Only in the last few years have women’s medical organizations demanded “equal time” in the research laboratory. This man is an idiot, ignore him. He’s just a member of a fading male chauvenist entity, and much like the age old blood letters, his kind will become extinct. Ignore him. He’s just an ass who refuses to keep up with modern research.

Fibromyalgia is the result of overactive nerve signals. It is real. Although this pharmacist claims superior knowledge, he’s still not as smart as a biochemist, and a pharmacist doesn’t have enough molecular biology under his belt to understand the myriad molecular signals, pathways, interactions, cascades and receptors that are involved in the pain signalling process. Until science figures out what within that pathway is “out of whack,” all science can say is, “We don’t know yet.”

The pain response is highly complex, and has yet to be completely understood, and a REAL scientist NEVER says NEVER. A true scientist says only, “We don’t know YET.” What a REAL scientist always admits is, “We don’t know enough, but we’re looking.” What a REAL scientists does is notice the overwhelming symptomology which is so commonplace it cannot be dismissed. What REAL science does is to look further, and thank goodness we have, as overactive nerve signalling is what science has concluded is happening. What science has now yet to discover is only, “What part of the pain signalling pathway is malfunctioning?” Is it malfunctioning? Yes. WHY? “We don’t know YET.” 🙂

What I will say is this man is a bad scientist, as any scientist true to his/her field never says never. Ignore him.

Eric, I work with a pharmacist who sometimes does relief in a nearby college town, and he said that the Planned Parenthood affiliate there writes for Plan B with 11 refills. He has a MAJOR ethical problem with filling that; it was NEVER meant to be used as a method of birth control! He does not profess any religious beliefs that I’m aware of.
I personally don’t even think it should be sold in pharmacies; it should be dispensed out of a doctor’s office or ER. JMHO.
I worked in retail when that and Preven came out, and we ordered a couple of them and they just sat on the shelf and expired.
And what’s this about vaginas? I happen to have one!

I have post-polio-syndrome, which includes the symptom of fiercely burning muscle pain (is that fibromyalgia?). I found that losing every ounce of extra weight plus light but daily exercise plus eating several very small meals a day rather than three regular ones (and cutting out any food with refined flour or sugar) plus short rest periods during the day took care of the pain (and “brain fog”) altogether.

I too have fybro but you know what? I won’t let it stop me from living my life. I take only ibuprofen and the odd 6 day course of prednisone for rheumatoid arthritis. I have one hip replacement and I’m climbing a 1000meter mountain in July. My doc says I don’t take enough pain meds but I tend to ignore that advice. I do believe it is a legitimate diagnosis though, just that some people have so much pain that it can be pretty easy to become addicted…ciao

I wrote this a few weeks ago, but kept getting errors when I tried to post it. Hmm…am I not wanted here? :’-(
Well anyways, I saved it because I took a whole wrist-wrenching 10 min. to type it [and yes, sadly I’m serious. It hurt!]. So I thought I’d try posting again. Guess we’ll see if it makes it through or if anyone’s still even reading this old topic. Ohhhh well. Makes me feel a bit satisfied:
glad you are finding ways to deal with the pain rositta.
but I just wanted to point out the fact that there are LOTS of different types of pain, and things that can cause ‘fibromyalgia-like’ symptoms. Not to mention that muscle/joint pain that is characteristic of the generic ‘fibro’ type pain will affect different people in different ways & with greater or lesser severity.
so what works for you may not work at all for someone else. I just mean that not *all* people in this world are liars and/or drug seekers. I’d imagine that just like any profession, Pharmacists and staff do get pummeled by many of the bad apples, and because we’re all human, we create stereotypes that lead to our brains lumping all of the people in a group (real people with ‘fibro’ type pain & drug addicts) into a pigeonhole. And like others have posted on here already, lots of people that see doctors with more ‘hidden’ diseases that can cause pain may be all too quickly dismissed with the label ‘fibromyalgia’; unfortunately with the recent marketing campaigns of drugs like Lyrica targeting this condition, I’d even bet that the amount of false diagnoses from doctors that get a pain complaint from a patient, and now more than ever overlook other aspects and label them as having fibromyalgia is going to get a lot higher —- and that could be quite serious if their doctors are too quick to pass them off with this and don’t look into other possible conditions that could be life threatening.
I got off topic. Sorry 🙂
I am happy that you are feeling good though rositta. But I hope everyone realizes that medicine is not black and white. People experience infinitely different levels of symptoms, including pain. Just because something is working well for 1 person, doesn’t mean that it will help another person. That’s my take on it anyway 🙂
Izzy

I’m a med student, and for one of our neuroscience conferences we had a physiatrist give a demonstration about electromyography and make an offhand comment about fibromyalgia being bunk- hillarity/fight ensued

I have been diagnosed with fibro twelve years ago, by a rheumotologist, I did not believe in the diagnosis and was diagnosed with the same five years later by another rheumotologist, I do not take medications of any kind, the cure is worst than the disease as far as side effects, having had two stomach ulcers in the past rules out any pain meds except for tylenol which is wortless against this kind of pain, so you see we are not all drug seekers nor are we bored and middle age, contrary to the popular belief fibro stikes the majority of people in their twenties and thirties, it strikes children and men also, so before you start putting poeple down you really ought to do research based on facts instead of your personnal opinion, ignorance is a poor excuse for stupidity. I used to walk six miles a day and like most people wirh fibro strove on working around the clock, I was the energiser bunny, how ccould you possibly think that anyone would chose to live with this horrible pain , we are not welfare cases , the majority of us were professionnals and hard working people, you are a disgrace to your profession and you belong to the dark ages, did they not believe that people with mental diseases were posessed and were they not burned at the stake back then, you just might have been the one to light the match, there are a lot of diseases whose cause are not known, there always were and always will be, just because some of us look okay does not mean that we are pain free

up until approx 5yrs ago i was an extremely successful model. one morning i woke up thinking i had the flu, i waited it out, but it didn’t go away. so i went to see the doc.
i am not overweight, nor have i ever used or been on drugs. i have 2 children of my own. i am also a foster parent. neither do i drink alcohol.
everyone is entitled to their opinion, and boy girl friend are you ever opinionated! i relate to so much of what you said especially about the fakers…here is this tid bit of info.. you can get tested by a nuero. dr. that hooks you up to a thousand different nerve endings in your body, to see if there is damage or inflation to the nerve endings..Fibro is an easy disease to fake.. the is soooo f’in tru. but unfortunately it is a real disease which infects the tissue between your bone and muscle, this disease mimics lupas, so rant about people w/ lupas.. go ahead.. it is so confusing BECAUSE it was a patient that thought of the name or an individual it was a team of doctors that came up with this term.. i have it and wouldn’t wish it on my worse enemy.. well maybe you..lol…
anyways no matter what there will always be drug seeking people.. but if you go to a good dr.and have the right test done.. then it can’t be faked.. do u understand? i ask you this because you aren’t doing your home work or research..get on it girl..
drug seekers are out there and the only thing that is happening within the medical community is that they are searching for better pain killers.. pain is pain everyone deals with it differently..some can handle an extreme amount others zilch.. the point is.. be smart about your rantings i know its fun… and people enjoy reading them.. but..in the same frame comes the true suffers.. and some aren’t able to defend themselves..don’t make a person who is already heavy and make them feel worse for getting heavier the reason for that is because they aren’t being told that there colon is storing up a ton of shit..literally.. and they need to open up to their doc and tell them they are constipated..some people are very shy and embarrassed about it…don’tmake it worse for them.
oh hell do what ever you want ..if it makes you feel good..which ditching on others is a weird way to feel good about yourself..but the is A typical..book reference on ..you know what? RIGHT

While pretty funny, your rant is one of the most inaccurate illogical ramblings on fibro that I have ever read. I have yet to see a person fake fibromyalgia successfully. Quite contrarily, fibromyalgia is one of the most underdiagnosed diseases in the world. Yes, I wrote disease. On good days, it is intolerable. On bad days, it will suck the life force out of you.

I suggest you attend a seminar, a fibro support group, something! If it is true that you are of were once in the medical industry, your lack of compassion is unbecoming to your trade.

Not qualified to hand out medical advice? Thats 90% of what I do at work from behind my cash register. Why? Because I am accessible. No appointment or copay necessary to talk to a DOCTOR of pharmacy. True, I don’t have the training to make complex diagnoses, but I do know drugs better than you and I’ve saved more patient’s lives and doctor’s asses doing drug utilization reviews and fixing prescribing errors than I can remember. And you’re wrong about my ass not being on the line. Most states hold pharmacists and prescribers equally liable for prescribing errors. I do agree with you about not projecting your religion/morals on people with legitimate need for a drug, be it Plan B or whatever. I also find that personally offensive.

Hey, get over it – you’re not a medical doctor. Sorry, but your own profession states this – you’re a doctor like a lawyer is a doctor, like a professor is a doctor, like Doctor Love is a doctor. And no, I don’t think you should be providing medical advice, other than specific advice on the use of pharmaceuticals and over the counter medications. Up until a few years ago, y’all weren’t even doctors of pharmacology – you were just required to get 2 additional years of training past the 4 years of partying that is modern college life. Sorry if we don’t genuflect in your direction, but it’s not really warranted, is it?

My daughter has an ex-friend who fakes fibromyalgia beautifully. She uses it to get herself a council flat, morphine and various amounts of cash for sick children/young adults “Make a Wish” charities. I am sure fibromyalgia does exist, but this person does not have it. I have never yet known her be sick enough to deny herself the chance of going anyway or doing anything she wants to, or that offers her a free ride. She’s never incapable of getting up or feeling too ill to lift a finger. Go figure!

I am also one of the “good” patients to whom you refer. I am well-educated, healthy other than having fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. I do hate that there are fakers. This illness (call it what you will) is REAL. I have suffered for years before getting a diagnosis (from two doctors). I tried every drug for fibro, but Lyrica helps most. It doesn’t help a lot though. I have tried staying away from all narcotics. There are days I wish I had them, but I still have not gotten to the point of getting a script for them. I want to leave that as a last resort. People with FMS don’t get much support from a lot of people because they cannot “see” fibro or CFS. I can only speak for myself in saying I am not self-absorbed. I used to work 70-hour weeks and am raising my four children and have a great marriage. I saw the author’s disclaimer, but some of the respondents here need to have fibro for a few weeks (I’ll gladly let you borrow mine!), but they can’t know it is temporary. They must believe it will last forever. Costochondritis is one major symptom I have–chest pain that feels like a heart attack. I get this almost every day, usually many times. I am like the one woman who is learning to manage as best she can, physically with good diet and exercise, mentally and emotionally with my spiritual life, and in any other was I possibly can. Some good comments here, but so many truly idiotic people. Might want to be careful as you may have to learn the hard way–Oh, yeah, FMS and CFS are real.

The doctor gave me ritalin long time after suffering from back pain, I did not take importance to I found chronic fibromyalgia, and after evaluating and conduct a comprehensive this icon in order to feel pain, until no stamina, after many doctor visits and many tests review told me that the most appropriate to ease the pain were ritalin, vicodin or oxycodone, but I asked my doctor to prescribe me the most effective and less addictive and prescribed Lortab, have already taken this medication 2 years and though it causes some kind of anxiety I control myself properly, I have no problems so addictive, I think if they know their anxiety is effective restraint, this is good because these narcotics findrxonline indicate that opioids can be very dangerous.

I totally agree with the poster of this blog. My mother-in-law is a perfect example. Overweight, crappy marriage, kids are a mess, history of depression. So she informs doc she’s in “chronic pain” — doc slaps on a label of fibromyalgia and she walks home with a boatload of oxycontin to sit around and drown her sorrows. There is no medical proof that there is ANYTHING wrong with this woman.

Funny how the chronic pain keeps her from working. But when she wants to go out shopping, no problem.

My problem is that I DO have a lot of pain and I have been to doctor after doctor who all say \fibromyalgia. Pleeeaase. I wasn’t born yesterday. Pain is caused by SOMETHING. I am not overweight, have a great marriage and am not depressed. I have severe shoulder pain that radiates down to the center of my back and up my neck. It burns and makes me ill. I have refused all their so called \remedies with narcotics and anti depressants. I want to know what is causing it not how to cover it up. The headaches, which were a supposed additional symptom of the \fybromyalgia\ were actually caused by allergies and not even related to the shoulder pain.

have looked into a condition called frozen shoulder? fibro is not a localized pain, you would have issues elsewhere. And there are many other symptoms that go along with fibro. Many call it a syndrome, b/c that is exactly what it is… a compilation of symptoms.

Hate to break it to you angry pharmacist,but pharmaceuticals rely on bogus diagnosis’s all the time. You think people WANT to be on Fybromyalgia medication? Who are your sources? IT IS TERRIFYING AND HORRIBLE TO BE ON THAT POISON!!I see where you are coming from, especially regarding the opiates. However,I’m sad to say the miracle drugs administered to fybromyalgia patients is well known to drive people to insanity and even suicide.It also gets rid of the pain by drastically slowing down your neural processing. This is FAR different than any opiate in every possible way,I assure you, with all due respect sir.

I hope all the ignorant people who have applauded your venom develop fibromyalgia….or better yet, your mother, sister, or daughter seeing as it affects women mostly. You will not be joking or insulting anyone with this disease anymore.

I’ve had a bad experience (or 10) with dishonest pharmacists. Ive had refills stolen, expensive med scripts “lost” or transferred (without my knowledge and/or consent) and no, they havent all been “controls”. Speaking if which, it is untrue that you count controlled substances more than once by two people. Ive seen this firsthand—Are you one of those dishonest pharmacists or do you just hate yourself so much?

The original post is almost 3 years old…SO we are stealing your drugs-why steal from you when I have that nice big safe filled with drugs? Can’t spend enough time on the phone at work so I’d love to transfer your rx for laughs…You my friend are a crackhead.

My wonderful, excellent primary care physician told me some time back that she does not treat fibromyalgia, which she also sees as a joke diagnosis to enable receiving prescriptions for narcotics and getting out of work for nebulous “disability” grounds. She told me that one of her other patients had an 18–year-old daughter who had somehow been diagnosed with fibro (by another doctor, of course) and was receiving meds for it. My doctor couldn’t believe it. Eighteen and “suffering from fibromyalgia”? I laugh.

If I recall correctly, Dr. Grumpy does not treat that condition either. He as a neurologist sees it for what it is too.

there is no age limit to fibro. I was diagnosed at 19… 1 and a half years after my symptoms began. I am now 35… guess what? still have it. your PCP seems to be using her opinion, rather than listening to her patients. So? don’t call it fibromyalgia (honestly it’s a misnomer; i don’t like the name either) but I would want to see a physician who would build a relationship with their patient and listen to all the have to say about their health concerns. My current wonderful, excellent PCP admits, he doesn’t know much about the condition and when he has worked with patients who have this disorder, he has a very difficult time helping them to find relief. But I have been seeing him for over 6 years and he is willing to read journal articles I bring him and try different approaches (some I suggest) so long as the side effects are not damaging. Our success (as a team) has been hit and miss. Some things will work for awhile and then for whatever reason they stop. He’s honest and says he doesn’t know why. Many doctors dispute fibro’s existence, sometimes b/c it’s frustrating to be in a field that doesn’t understand such a common issue; sometimes b/c they don’t want to admit they don’t know what to do about it. Or perhaps like the angry Pharm.D. here, they have experienced drug-seekers and therefor shut off wanting to take on the challenge of perhaps helping someone who is legit. It has to be frustrating for a truly caring doctor… it’s definitely frustrating for the truly hurting patient.

I recently had all my crappy pain diagnosed as fibromyalgia, secondary to my hypothyroid. It’s a bullshit way to live, make no mistake. My meds? Vicodin only, at this point. Let me explain.

First off, I don’t get high from vicodin AT ALL, and I’m not really a fan of taking it. However, I’ll take feeling like I got punched in the head the morning after I take my ONE vicodin, over all the shitty side effects from Tramadol. They had me on that for MONTHS, and it was nasty when I’d forget to take my pills for a couple days.

Lyrica and all of that? I won’t take em. I have a problem with meds that are advertised on TV (long story), and to me, taking one of those specific-to-fibro meds is like… giving in. Taking vicodin as needed makes it feel much more temporary. If I didn’t feel like this was temporary, I just wouldn’t be able to deal with it. I’m a former figure skater, I’ve dealt with nasty injuries before, and that’s what I’m looking at this as.Fix my thyroid, fix the pain. That’s the plan.

In the meantime, I’ll take Vicodin. I can’t get addicted to it (it doesn’t get my physcally addicted, and I don’t seem to have the psychological-addiction gene!). It has no real side effects for me, and when I don’t need it anymore, I can just stop cold turkey without nasty physical withdrawl like Tramadol.

you’re right to mention the thyroid issue, this is new information I am learning about my own condition. I don’t think the pharmacist is bothered by helping some with thyroid issues? I too have no “recreational” type side effects to many of the narcotics that are prescribed for fibro. I unfortunately, also don’t get any relief (i might as well have swallowed an M&M)

I agree that fibro is a bullshit “disease”, it isn’t even a real disease. THE AMA voted on this name for a bunch of symptoms in 1987, prior to 1987 there was no fibromyalgia! People in pain I believe for the most part are not faking the pain, the pain is real. Problem is that the doctors haven’t diagnosed the cause of the pain properly. Everyone with full body pain should have an MRI scan on their brain and spine to rule out neurological problems. A condition like Chiari 1 (brain too big for skull and pushes down on spine) and Syringomyelia (cyst in spine) can cause a lot of pain, and most people haven’t even heard of this real condition, as well as most doctors, so the doctor’s misdiagnose it. If you’re in pain, keep on going for tests until you find out the cause, don’t just mask it with a bandaid solution of pain meds. Did u know that Lyme disease is very oftem misdiagnosed as Fibromyalgia? Find out the real cause of your pain, and patient’s don’t accept a BULLSHIT diagnosis!

i agree that fibro is a waste basket that a lot of indiscriminate symptoms are thrown into. i’m a registered nurse and never believed it. until july 2009. after diagnosed with hypothyroidism and put on synthroid, i had systemic pain (pain all over the body). i thought i had arthritis or lupus. tests were negative. finally they told me fibro. i can’t take any narcotics due to vomiting violently everytime i take anything of a codone base. 1200 mg ibuprophen doesn’t touch it and neurontin and lyrica (close relatives to each other) make the pain more intense. i agree that a lot of people are drug seeking, not necessarily by there choice, but sometimes through becoming tolerant. does anyone know some other alternative therapies?

I have had FMS since age 16, diagnosed at 26, after seeing many docs and specialists and having at least 5 gallons of blood drawn oer the years. I do take narcotcs…as well as savella-a fibro specific drug. Tried the Lyrica and the side effects- hair loss, libido was gone, short fuse, suicidal ideations- were just too much to tolerate. I am now with a new pain specialist and yes, he put me on higher narcotics. But there is also some requirements that go along with my scrips. His exact words were “I’m not giving you these so you can lay around all day and watch T.V. I’m doing this so you can cope with the pain better and start exercising more so we can eventually lower the dosage.” And ya know what, it’s working!!! I’m able to go to the gym and actually survive a whole class(50-60 mins). Sometimes I need to soak in the hottub for a bit before or after a class, but I’m doing it. In the first 2 weeks I started exercising I lost 8 pounds. And as long as I can keep going at this rate, my narcotics will be slowly lowered, which is my goal. But if my weight doesn’t go down, he will pull my narcotics as well.
I’ve never gotten an early refill or even asked for it. My home was broken into here recently and 45 of my oxys came up missing. Did I call my dr or pharmacy boohoo’ing? Nope, I have just dealt with it, by hot tub soakings, very gentle stretches every morning and night and changing my dosing schedule to stretchwhat I have left. I cant afford to pay cash for a “lost/stolen” scrip. I have to tough it out.
I also only use 1 pharmacy, unless I need a scrip due to an E.R. visit on the weekends (mine is only open M-F 10-6)then I use walgreens. My pain contract staes very clearly that if I hop pharmacies even once I will be booted from the clinic. And yes, I have medicaid and am classified as “moderately overweight”. The narcotics are helping me push thru my pain though and am slowly losing the weight. I also have a 2100 sq foot house to take care of seeings my husband works and does side jobs as well. My plan is to be off of all assistance by the beginning of January 2012. I hate being on assistance. The only one that I will not be off of is my SSD, which is money that I have EARNED, unlike SSI which is a state funded assistance program. I want to have to pay insurance premiums, copays, and the like.
So say what you will about us fibromyalgia sufferers. But no matter what you say, we know the truth and people like you and all of ur ackeys on here only fuel our intentions of becoming stronger.

Read between the lines and understand there is a message for each of us who deal with FMS. Our angry Pharmacist is an expert in his/her profession, but he is not a Physician or Phycologist. Maybe he doesen’t seem to give a shit, but he/she has to deal with Patients, Doctors and the DEA. Much like my engineering education our Angey Pharmacist went to college with good intention and a preconceieved notion of a career where he/she would contribute to society in a positive manner (unless this is his/her alter-ego and in reality, he/she loves all aspects of being a Pharmacist). Anyway, I have never met our Host, but I do have several good friends who own Pharmacies, and I know the laws, regulations, penalties and protocols he must follow; it’s not an easy job. A few mistakes and he can lose his license or even face criminal charges.
I just turned 50 year old and the last 30 years include fibromyaligia (mpre specifically, myofacial pain syndrome. I empathize with the Angry Pharmacist because I used to be one of those annoying customers, and realize how I all too often ruined the day for many Pharmacists.
Once upon a time I believed only Oxy or Hydro worked. Actually, I believed these two meds could cure any ailment, but I was wrong. Ten years ago I would finally realize that Fibro cannot be fixed when it includes legal addiction. My former PCP who is both an Internist and Rheumatologists along with two highly respected PM Doctors rotated me through Hydocodone, Oxycodone, Fentanyl and Methadone and it didn’t work. I could no longer sustain my argument and now attending NA meetings this flawed belief was quite humbling. Now that I came clean with my Docs, I was placed back on Tylenol Codeine #4 (30-days no refills) along with Flexeral and Serzone.
Unfortunately, after being on opiates for almost 20 years, and strong opiates for 4 years the damage was done.
Two situations will rewire the CNS for pain and for the rest of ones life; failure to cope with untreated chronic pain and chronic use of opiates; especially the pure mu agonists. The person can discontinue their opiate use for many years, but has spent most of their adult life taking opiates is never going to get relief from moderate dosages of opiates. Meanwhile their chronic pain has rewired their CNS such that physicological changes including an axis of symptoms where pain, fatigue and anxiety become convoluted.
Pain and fatgue trigger a feeling of vulnerability and fear. Events like missed work and chronic job losses, financial hardships, bankruptcy, divorce, estrangement from children, committing to and then not showing up at events often trigger PTSD; and the many symptoms that come with it. hypervigilance, generized anxiety disorder, guilt, fear, worry and helplessness eentually undermine ones endocrine system and mess up ones HPA axis.
There is no single pill, no groups of meds and no opiate that can help no matter what you believe. Recovering from chronic pain is tough in itself and cannot be done alone. Recovering from CP along with a life of excess consumption of pharmaceuticals is going present the greatest challenge to ones life.
Now you have to see what our Pharmacist is saying. I like this person and even admire him/her. I read his/her blogs, I do not deny and I do not take it personally. He rants often include lessons learned

Hey just found this article all I can say is I was told I have fibro. I have most of the symptoms of it I have cHoosen not to take any of the med. I did try a few they really sucked they are just a bandaie to the problem I didnt like they way the meds made me feel. I dont take no pain meds my doc. do give out nacotics anyway, Plus I dont want it. I raelly believe I have fibro. I have a friend that says she has if and she isnt anything like me. It doesnt stope her from doing anything mine does Everyone has the right to thier appenion. and that is fine. But dont think everone who has something wrong is a faker for drugs. because you are not right on that. well good luck in life and I hope you see not everyone is evil
angie

Hello. I have fibro and I fit your description – fat and female. And when I have lost large amounts of weight in the past, my pain symptoms improved (but didn’t stop). Lyric is very helpful. Oxy sometimes when the pain in the ribs/hips get worse. I know you are a pharmacist and not a MD, so you probably don’t follow the research. But multiple studies have indicated that people with fibro have levels of substance P that are about three times higher, so there is a possibility that that fibromyalgia is a syndrome of increased pain sensitivity. Rather than a trash can diagnosis, there are actual physical differences. Additionally, several studies have shown that people with fibro are opiod resistant, due to reduced receptor activity in regions of the brain that process and dampen pain signals. This is how many of us end up on higher and higher dosages. I was taking opiods regularly for two years. And if I don’t take it for a few days because my pain levels are better, I have NO withdrawal symptoms. None. I wondered now how much benefit I really get – or it is all placebo. So I stopped completely. Sometimes, the pain is worse and I feel the difference. But I am chosing to live through it. What I hate the most is the fibro fog…it does exist, it isn’t medication. And it sucks. Anyway- if you don’t regularly review the literature, you might start. Pubmed is a great resource and can keep you current on the latest research on fibro and other diseases. Just knowing the pharmacology of the meds isn’t quite enough, it helps to undertand that patient and the disease better.

I always wondered if they meds they gave me were just placebos too, so I stopped as well about a year ago, I unfortunately had lost of pain for a month or two but then I got much better, mix it with yoga 3 times a week and a healthy diet and I feel better than I have in the last 8 years. You’re right too the fibro fog exists and it definitely sucks, I feel like someday I’m going to forget how to put my socks on haha. The pharmacist does have a point, I have met a few people who without knowing what my condition was pretty much told me that they were faking it for pills, it made me so mad to realize people actually did that. I guess it’s like any other condition too though, some people fake it for sympathy or pills, others have the condition to the last letter and get judged for it. Unfortunate 🙁

Hahahaha! That’s why you’re a pharmacist buddy, Just give the junkies the pills so they don’t shoot you for ’em and get off your moral high horse. I really don’t appreciate all your comments about “poor people” and “welfare people” like people who work for minimum wage are all junkie pieces of trash. Personally, I was diagnosed with fibro when I was 16 and refuse any kind of medication. Yes, I read your disclaimer, and yes, I know you weren’t talking about me, but I still think you’re a class A douchewad. Did you ever stop to consider that it is none of your business and no one gives half a shit what you think… just sayin. I came across you’re garbage pile here by accident, and I think from what I’ve read that you’re also not too bright. I am poor. I get food stamps. I have fibromyalgia. I am not overweight or self-absorbed, but I think all you people on here bitching about a disease you don’t even have need to seriously get a life. Maybe if you could get laid once in a while, you wouldn’t be such an angry pharmacist. just sayin.

Also, it is people like you who debunk fibro and stop people from actually getting help for it. I don’t even go to the doctor anymore because even when I say “I don’t want pills of any kind” what they hear is “This is some kind of reverse psychology trick to get you to give me some pills.” So thanks for perpetuating the stereotype and as for the condition not existing, I think a rheumatologist (an actual smart person who did well enough in school to become not only a real doctor but a specialist) would disagree with you since they don’t diagnose 16 year olds with lifelong conditions lightly. And ps when people type in “natural remedies for fibromyalgia and low back pain” what they get is your online vomit about how everyone who has it is just a drug addict of low socioeconomic status on welfare. Jeez you suck buddy. Like seriously, the world will be a better place when you are no longer in it.

I have fibromyalgia. I refuse to let doctors put me on heavy duty drugs. I do occasionally take Advil. Obviously that can never be good enough, but I deal with it because the fibromyalgia drugs have some heavy side effects I don’t like.

Fibro fog isn’t because people are so doped up on medicine. It’s real and it happens because it’s a symptom. It happens to me multiple times a day on worse days. And I most certainly am not on any of those heavier pills. So fibro fog IS NOT caused by them. But because you’ve never experienced it, you’ll never understand.

Fibro fog is frustrating and it makes you feel helpless. When you just can’t think, can’t remember your name to save your life, it’s real.

But for you to dismiss it as a pill induced haze pissed me off. It isn’t. And I don’t think you will ever understand that just because you’ve never experienced it doesn’t mean that it’s fake.

Fibro fog happens because it’s real.

Understand that.

Or, if you are incapable, then shut your mouth about the topics you have no clue what you’re talking about.

Hey jackass, I have tried all of the supposed treatment meds for Fibromyalgia and my screaming lower back (as well as other) back pain and they either don’t work or have horrific side effects for me. I am not faking to get pain meds, they simply keep things in check so I don’t want to seek an alternative way away from the pain. Just because they put drugs out there that are touted by the drug companies as the great miracle cure for fibromyalgia does not always mean they are effective for everyone.

To all the people crying that they are in pain- guess what? EVERYBODY is in fucking pain. I broke my spine- shattered five vertabrae- when I was 18 years old. I’m almost 33 and almost scream when I get out of bed in the morning. I don’t reach for the pills. I don’t cash a welfare check. I get in my shitbox car and go to fucking work. After that, I go to my second job. Sometimes I come home, lay on a heating pad and cry a little bit. Life is HARD. You either have the balls to deal with it or you don’t. I’m a Woman and can deal with it! Grow a set, honestly. Who raises these people who cry over every little thing? Are you capable of motion? Then go to work and quit whining. Holy shit.

Yeah i hope it gets broke again too and i bet you cried like a baby until you got a shot of morphine. what the FUCK is this connection you stupid motherfuckers are making with addicts and people on welfare???? THERE ARE WAY MORE RICH ADDICTS THAN POOR ONES. “I’m a woman and I can deal with it???” what kind of self hating woman are you that you should even mention it? what women are weaker? tell that to my vagina that squeezed out a 7 and half pound baby. you can live your life in pain if you want, but some don’t want to and that doesn’t make you any better than anyone else, it just makes you in more pain and more of a dick. take a freakin tramadol maybe then you wont be such a hateful bitch. (Oh and just so you know, I am a sociological researcher and the age/race group most addicted to painkillers is WEALTHY WHITE MALES.) So maybe you should stop attacking people and challenge your own stereotypical beliefs. And also as a side note, I have fibro and have since I was 16 and refuse painkillers, but that doesn’t mean I have to preach against those who do.

Who the fuck is saying that people with fibromyalgia don’t work? I work, I just finished grad school (while working full time), AND I volunteer. Go ahead and pat yourself on the back for crying alone in your bed and driving a piece of shit car. But shut the fuck up about how other people deal with a disease that you CLEARLY DON’T HAVE!

dear angry pharm: i really do have fibro yes it really does exist and yes you are an asshole. i take meds without them i will not be able to pass a day no i dont take brain candy neither do i abuse my meds in any way you do not know me how cn you know my illness!!!!! you need to study more or better yet have more feelings for those who really have fibro i walk with a cane and when outside a walker to keep my balance brainfog is a daily routine for me. my memory is not waht it used to be. some days the pain is unbearable.on these days i do not function at all. so HOW DARE YOU MEASURE ME UP.!!!!!

Everyone is entitled to there opinions. BUT I do suffer terribly with Fibromyalgia and yes I take narcotics. I had to close my business because. Of it So here goes. I don’t like being in pain or spending my days in bed because I didn’t sleep the night before. I am afraid to have conversations. Because my mind goes blank or I lose my train of thought. I would give anything to have my pain free life back and be able to run my business again. I have no life with Fibromyalgia and I would not need my narcotics.

i was a benzo addict for years due to agoraphobia and severe anxiety/depression. now that that fog has cleared i find myself with a pattern that totally sucks. it starts with insomnia as in three days without sleep….then horrible restless legs which i wouln’t wish on osama bin laden (okay, i would wish that)…then comes the migraine which is difficult to cure once its dug in. the hmo i use has docters who tell you you are 5150 and like you know shut up. so i’m taking gabapentin atarax and inderal which all of them dry you out lower your blood pressure and do absolutely nothing. i want meds that work. i’m not drug seeking but i’m a decent lifestyle seeking. i’m not on welfare and vote and pay taxes. i dont want sympathy….i want relief. i dont think thats asking too much.

I am on Cymbalta/Neurontin/Topamax and Oxyconton/oxycodone. I have RA as well. I guess my issue here is that first off just because you are poor and on welfare doesn’t make you a drug addict. Really judgemental statement there, with our economy like it is many people have had to resort to public assistance in some form. I am on Disability myself because of my illnesses. I have seizures as well. Then you say just because they are on certain drugs makes them addicts, well there again a broad judgemental statement. You do not know that they are addicts, some people may not be able to take Lyrica or Neurontin. It could be they don’t have a good enough Dr. To prescribe the right medication. Fibro Doctors aren’t that great all the time, it’s evolving with time as well. Don’t always blame the patient. Fibromyalgia is a REAL syndrome recognized by the medical community, and yes there will always be misdiagnosed patients. Your attitude hurts those of us that are in real pain, on real medication. Even though you say you aren’t talking to us, you are still talking about our disease and that is offensive. Get educated.

I am new to a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. I am on Lyrica, Cymbalta, Tramadol, Anaprox, and Celebrex. I have been an active energetic woman for most of my life. All of this pain, which feels like I am on fire started a few months ago. I am so frustrated that I have something that is holding me back from life. I am overweight and I found your fatsomyalgia comment so sad. I am not a woman who likes to be on meds. Actually going to the doctor and taking pills are the last things on my list. I just want to feel better. Fibro fog, well before I started seeing the doctor for my pain issues I started feeling lost and not remembering a lot of my ADLs, etc. I know that your rant was not for people like me, but those addicts on narcotics. Yes there are so many, but did you have to take it that far?

I too have Fibromyalgia. I have back and hip pain that is so severe that I can’t stand up straight and walk around. I am not sure that I totally believe int he fibromyalgia diagnosis but that is what the doc say that I have. I have seen two Rheumatologist. One says Fibro and the other says that I have the HLA-B27 gene or something that was inherited from one of my family members that causes arthritis like symptoms. I can’t explain my pain and the docs can’t either but it is real. I took arthritis meds as needed until I had retal bleeding and I have been off of pain meds for about seven months. THE PAIN IS REAL. THE FATIGUE IS REAL. THE POOR CONCENTRATION IS REAL whatever it may be.

I am in terrible chronic pain and one of the things that pisses me off the most is a pharmacist that thinks he knows better about my condition than my doctor or myself, so here’s an idea…mind your own business, keep your opinions and smart ass remarks to yourself and fill the prescriptions like a good little boy.

I was diagnosed with Fibro by a team of doctors, one of which was the head of a pain clinic about 2 1/2 yrs ago. After no one could figure out why I was having horrible pain. To be honest I have not been satisfied with this diagnosis, I am embarrased of it. Cause well…look at some of these posts, right? But it is all the doctors/Rheumatologist have come up with, so yeah, perhaps doctors do give this diagnosis to patients when they do not know what else fits. is that my fault? But I guess they do the same when we have a a sore throat, etc.. They rule stuff out, cause they don’t always know what is wrong. Patients have been abusing RX drugs for many many years. I worked in neurology for 14 years and so many headache clients were abusing meds it was crazy, narcotics and triplocate rx’s. People are abusing pain meds for all kinds of conditions. And people are addicted. Its awful, but a reality. To single out fibromyalgia patients is not the answer, nor is it fair in my opinion. I am not using any pain meds. I am on gabapentin and cymbalta. I use Tylenol. I exercise 6-7 days a week,big bag boxing, lifting weights and I run 4 times a week. I love to be active. I did a half marathon March 3, 2012. Do I feel pain while I exercise? Hell yes! Do I feel pain everyday, YES. But I push through it, because I know that exercise is more important than any drug and I feel so good mentally after. I must say that your name serves you well. The Angry pharmacist. You seems angry, very in fact. Perhaps you may want to find out the real reason behind all your anger?

You’re right. You are a jerk. You wouldn’t say fibromyalgia doesn’t exist if you had it, or someone you love had it. I have had fibromyalgia all my adult life, now 52. The only narcotics I’ve had were when I had a root canal.

I said this in an earlier post, a reply to someone else, but statistical data shows (I am a sociological researcher) that the group who is most likely to be addicted to pain medication is wealthy white males. Yeah, fibromyalgia probably does affect the poor more, you know why?? Because the way things are, there are a hell of a lot more poor people than rich people, and the constant stress from poverty (which keeps your body in a never-ending fight or flight mode) can be responsible for overactive nerves, which many REAL doctors believe is one of the causes of fibromyalgia. You’re a waste of flesh angry pharmacist, and I would rather have ten junkies in this world than just one bigot like you.

I am a doctor and to let you and other pharmacists know Fibro is a Real diagnosis. Sounds like you should go back to school and learn about certain diseases before you poke at them to get out your aggressions. There is help out there for you,maybe some counseling would help you. You should be spending time with people you care about instead of writing such a long post about drug addicts, maybe find a different career because there will always be excuses for addicts at your counter.You seem very unhappy, I wish you luck and hope you find help or better outlets. Also Fibromyalgia is VERY painful and in some more painful than some cancers. I have also learned that in most cases not much does help for the pain, but when you become a Dr. I would gladly love to talk more about it with you. It’s very disturbing coming across your idiotic post, you clearly have no knowledge of this disease other than maybe reading certain things from the internet. Please get help.And hopfully there are not alot of pharmacists like you. JUST DO YOUR JOB or FIND A DIFFERENT ONE. people have their own reasons why they only take the narcotics and you do not deserve their explanation nor do they have to give you one. Just hope you never have to go through any type of pain like most of the people you talk about go through, til then do your little job..

I had to respond to your enormously insulting/anonymous TAP post. Speak for yourself, not for any pharmacist out there, please. I assure you, myself and others did not learn about FM from the internet; shall we start showing you ACPE/CE statements and paid tuition bills of Disease courses with course description to prove this? In the meantime, start your own blog to toot your horn so you can deflate an over-inflated ego a bit…jeesh
I bet you did not even know that sildenafil is being studied for lymphedema treatment (a painful & debilitating disease state); this coming from a member of the licensed pharmacist community, keeper of the “little job”, as you describe it. Are we keeping knowledge/intellect score yet? Sorry that you came off as a cretino. I must defend my fellow intelligent and very knowledgeable pharmacists. BTW, I would never send my family members to seek medical treatment from you, no matter how brilliant you think you are.

Fibromyalgia is not a disease but rather a chronic disorder,but hey you learned about it in your tiny disease course, they do not train you pharmacists like us doctors,lol, we continously train and learn not just get the degree to sit on our asses behind a cash register as another said it correctly. I must say my colleges and I read your garbage and laugh at your ignorance and thank god we completed . Like I said there will always be addicts at your counters so get a different job. If you believe your crap so much then stop hiding behind your laptop smudging people who are in pain and put your name out there stand behind your belifs, COWARD. GET A DIFFERENT CAREER. WHAT AND WHERE IS THE PHARMACY YOU WORK FOR? Fibromyalgia takes years to diagnose, but there are new studies and test out here now to diagnose faster. Honestly we think you may be Bipolar by reading your remarks. Get help, it truely seems as if you are the eone suffering here.

Dr. Junn, you are my hero!! God bless you, my friend. I have read several things online that say this fool works in Slidell, LA, which is where I live. I have a feeling I know exactly which pharm. this asshat works at. I agree, if he/she is so damn miserable, find a different career! Why continue if it is so damn bad! I have a great doctor who ran every test under the book to figure out why I was in chronic pain, always tired but never able to rest (insomnia), having panic attacks and anxiety for 15 years, unable to play with my preschooler, or lift her even. I am thankful to my doctor for being kind, compassionate and caring. I am thankful to have a reason. I am also thankful for the fact that it is now WELL KNOWN as a dysfunction of the central nervous system, and not all in our heads. Oh and if it is just for “fat people”, why am I five feet ten inches tall, and weigh in at one hundred twenty pounds? Huh, Mr/Mrs smart pharmacist? Can you answer THAT? I’d LOVE to know why my years of suffering from a “fat person condition” isn’t necessary because I AM NOT FAT!! I agree, I think the person writing this is bipolar. How do I know? My mother is very much so bipolar, and in order to learn to not take it personally, I have had to do a ton of research on this disorder. This person, if nothing else, has a serious mood disorder and should seek medical help…QUICKLY!

Sabrina, the Dr. was directing this comment to the asshole who wrote this post, not to all pharmacists. There was nothing intelligent or knowledgeable about the asshole’s post. I would never wish this disease on anyone…. except the asshole and the other assholes who assume fibromyalgia isn’t real and that people with fibromyalgia are all fat, drug-seeking and on welfare.

“Lets just rename the disease FATSOmyalgia and stop with the candy-coating.”
“So yes, I do think Fibromyalgia is a fucking joke.”
<–you'd rather side with that dickhead? GOD HELP US that people like this exist!

Yeah, I have Fibromyalgia… and my husband is a doctor so is always telling me it is a bullshit disease. The antidepressants gave me over 70 side effects so I quit taking both. I have had insomnia for years, and I really think that now that I have been off my meds (dr. hubby so pissed about that) eat PSYCHO healthy, work out as much as possible, and try to reduce my stress, I’m still in pain, still exhausted, still have the Fibro fog. I am over weight, and I know that is why I got diagnosed with this one month after my baby was born. Lack of sleep, lack of nutrition (little parasites), and trying to get bed rest while on maternity leave developed this Fibro to where I can barely walk, let alone twist the baby bottles open.

I don’t drink, smoke, or do drugs… and when I hear that people are taking narcotics for this… and people say it is a fake disease… I am more pissed at the freaking painkiller addicts than those that are uneducated, because they make me look bad. (And I have been sober for 7 years since 21, so it takes a lot for me to say that) I live in Florida, and after seeing my new doctor a year, crippled in bed with pain, she refused to give me ANY pain relievers at all, so I stayed in bed 2 weeks crying, with my Dr. Hubby reminding me its a bullshit disease 😀

How the F*CK are these SOBs getting pain killers… when most people know that they should be prescribed in emergency cases only such as when I had a migraine for a week straight, and after my Catscan proved it, they confirmed it and shot me with morpheine to break the cycle, and gave me one week of minimum hydrocodone. Thanks a lot F*incg Cymbalta!!! POS psych drug!!!

My friend that had a heart attack was on morphine patches from this disease, my gf with it doctor wants to put a morphine pump in her SPINE! I am so seroiusly freaked out here. I work out, I eat pretty healthy (organic, kosher, low calorie low fat low salt… food) got a personal trainer to help with working out once a week, and then I do cardio 2 to 5 times a week. Still in pain, still exhausted, still Fibro Fog, have dropped 3 sizes but the scale is not budging.

I agree, it is lack of sleep, lack of nutrition, and being over weight. Unfortunately that is what happens when you get pregnant and have a baby. 2 years later, still hurt, still exhausted, less fibro fog… can’t take the antidepressants as they gave me 70 side effects and made me sick and a loony…

what’s left? Marinol? Seriously… what can I take that will make this go away, because I don’t want an fn morphine pump in my spine?

One reason is that less money more stress. More stress, less sleep. Less sleep more stress more flares. More flares, less hours, less income. So pain and fatigue can severely intervene with work/career/income. I have tried to go back to work many times. I am finally just staying home, working on my MBA and helping my husband build and then manage offsite his ophthalmology practice. Hopefully him having an income will reduce my stress, increase my sleep, and reduce my fibro so I can get my own career someday, part time. Just a thought 😀

And then there are some of us ,that no matter what they take or do it doesn’t help. I can’t take pain meds they make me so sick. Noone cares to hear it, see it , or be bothered by you. FUCK pills, Fuck the god damned insurance companies ,FUCK the doctors and fuck everyone who doesn’t know pain and don’t want to hear how bad you hurt FUCK IT ALL! I am not EVEN go into my medical background but I am alone in my pain. I googled “will I go to hell if I kill myself?” who knows , I AM IN FUCKING HELL NOW. Nice article by the way, I enjoyed it.

I work in a hospital and 90% of the people I’ve met with Fibromyalgia fit the exact profile that The Angry Pharmacist has described. That is the cold, hard (and totally annoying/aggrivating/disgusting)truth. You know its bad being that I now possess a “telepathic gift” where I can pretty much bet my lunch on who will tell me they have Fibromyalgia. Not because I’m some judgmental jerk, but because most Fibromyalgia “sufferers” are that stereotypical.
Its horrifying to see girls around my age (25) acting like little old ladies, doing everything they can to lay around all day-everyday, doped up and worst of all….ON MY DIME. Fine, ungratefully waste your perfectly good lives, but don’t make me or the rest of us support you simply because you’re lazy and highly dishonest.
KEY WORD: MOST

I was diagnosed with fibro about a year ago.. I was in denial and didn’t believe I changed Dr and finally went to a specialist who said I have classic symtoms. I was refered to a pain Dr and I was so mad mad when she prescibed narcs I refused and she wrote for savella, and vicodin. When I refused the rx she said it was just in case I needed it! Then I was told to take a drug test. I gave urine amd left the vicodin rx there. I wanted to prove.I wasnt a drug seeker. However the patient s couldnt even keep thier eyes open. I agree with you!!!

Unless you live in a box, you should know by now that Fibro is now considered a malfunctioning of the central nervous system. People with Fibro have a perfusion of blood flow in the brain, and churn out 10 times the pain killing chemicals of “healthy” people. It is mow seen in our cells and even in our skin. The pain is very real. Motrin often does not work because it is an anti-inflammatory and fibro pain is neurological, not inflammatory. I think Vicoden sucks! It makes me deathly sick. Cymbalta and Ultram work well with many natural therapies including pilates, tens units, supplements, and the help of an understanding doctor, not a bigoted, ranting pharmacist who believes that he is better than everyone else because he thinks he has all the answers, but obviously is too lazy to look up the latest findings concerning Fibro. It is those people who use Fibro as a way of getting drugs that cause such prejudice and mockery. It is unfortunate because people rely on medical professionals to stay in the current century concerning their thoughts about health. Do you still believe that Diabetes and MS are all in our heads? Or maybe you would like to tell an autistic child that he is just insane and we should lock him up forever? These are ideas of the past. Step into the present and get yourself better educated about things like Fibro. It might just make you feel less anxious to put people down who you don’t know. If the addicts outnumber the true patients so much, and it bothers you enough to post it and bitch about it instead of learning more about helping people who are in true chronic pain, then get out of the business. No one asked you to step up behind the counter and play God. Get off your soap box and really learn about these things that you obviously remain very ignorant about. And while you are at it, grow up and grow a pair. Ignorance is not bliss in your profession. Rants like this just prove how much our school system has been failing. Learn how to read, and look it up, then you might not sound quite so archaic.

I read the disclaimer and you are an asshole. You are a smart ass. I send the fibromyalgia affliction upon you. May you not be able to receive treatment to relieve your pain, fatigue, etc. Happy New Year.

I was told I have Fibromyalgia over 2 yrs ago! I don’t take any strong pain meds as I’m allergic to codine and morphine so I just take motrin or sometimes naproxen! It sucks as my pain is getting worse I have my good weeks and bad and the bad weigh out the good..my whole body hurts sometimes and even the soles of my feet it’s the worst! I do take 10mg of valuim a day and no not for fibro i take it for panic disorder that I have had since I was 16 I have been on them since 2010 was on xanax before that! and no I never asked to be put on them was put on them by a doctor and me not knowing what these meds are am now stuck on 10mg a day which i hate as I feel like it’s a dependency thing now and I want of them as I don’t feel like they work..but was told I can’t just stop them as I could have fits and the withdrawals would be terrible so I’m scared..so my point of my comment is we all don’t use our pain and suffering to gt meds there are a few of us including me who hates to take anything…no I never feel high I’m on very low does but it’s enough to where I can’t just stop! I tried to taper off but it didn’t work..so if you have any suggestions to help I would be very grateful…oh and my fibro I try to exercise to help with the pain..a fed up in pain women!!!

I totally agree with you, my girlfriend who claims to have this crap disorder begged me to go to my PCP and fake it so I could get scripts for endocet -_- I guess her 120 Norco and 56 30mg oxycotin wasn’t helping her “pain”. I told her she needs help and all those drugs couldn’t be good for her and then I told her I couldn’t see her again until she gets her life straight

I think this asshole pharmacist works in Slidell, LA. I wonder how much it would take to figure out exactly where this blog is being published from is sent to some higher up’s for investigation? I am sick and fucking tired of being glared at because I have chronic pain and am on medicaid. You know what, asshole?? I am on medicaid because my husband almost DIED FROM CANCER BUT WORKED THE ENTIRE TIME HE WAS HAVING TREATMENTS FOR A FUCKING THEIF THAT DIDN’T PAY OUT HIS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF COMMISSIONS, OR OFFER UP THE “FREE FAMILY HEALTH INSURANCE” HE SAID HE OFFERED UPON HIRING MY HUSBAND. SO FUCK YOU, AND ANY OTHER LOW LIFE PHARMACIST WHO THINKS I AM A “SEEKER” BECAUSE I HAVE CHRONIC PAIN, AND AFTER MANY YEARS OF SUFFERING MADE A CHOICE TO TREAT MY PAIN SO I COULD PLAY WITH MY CHILD!! DAMN! I feel SOOOOO sorry for your heartless, souls. You lack love in your life, and compassion in your heart! To say these down right evil things, and pass judgement on everyone because you have to deal with those asshats who don’t respect themselves, is just God-less. Yet you act as if you are God himself with the things you say. You think you are educated? Well…you, my friend, may have book smarts, but you lack in MANY other areas. I pray for your soul, as you are lost, and should most certainly seek out guidance. Not to mention, a new career!!! Most importantly, choose happiness and leave the judgment to our creator. Man, I feel so sorry for you come YOUR judgement day! WoW! Do you have a world of hell coming to you!

I have lost count of the number of people who claim to suffer with fibro. I would say that 10% of them are legit.There is SOMETHING wrong. I would say that most are attention seekers and/or drug seekers. I heard a joke the other day that just rings SO true:

Q: How do you know if someone has fibromyalgia?

A: Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.

God, I have never seen an illness that requires its “sufferers” to tell anyone who will listen that they have it.

I goggled this because i had a potential roommate tell me she had this illness …i have only met two other people who have claimed this as a illness both were extremely overweight and for some reason this illness doesn’t seem real and i am kind of wondering if it isn’t just an excuse to collect disability before anyone decides to jump down my throat i would like to say my mother who raised me suffered from the effects of polio her entire life she contracted at the age of 3 almost lost her leg she had many operations on it throughout her life and was told she would never walk without her brace , brave as she was she took off that brace because it made her fall more then once she was determined to live without and she did my mother was in pain every single day of her life and she got up every day and worked 8 hours in a factory helped me raise my kids cleaned cooked and took care of her responsibilities all without pain meds no laying in bed or going on ssd which she could have quite easily done i watched my mother in pain carry groceries mow the lawn help my dad build a deck walk a dog care for children etc etc… so i dont get it when i hear people cry about pain and how they need drugs to help or why they need to lay around in bed. My mother taught me to be strong and tolerant of others but she also taught me mind over matter and strength comes from within therefore no matter how sick i might be or in pain(heavy painful menstrual periods) you get up and do what you have to do! as for the pharmacist that wrote this shame on you for being so rude in the way you put things we as a society are taught to depend on relief meds when in pain and dont forget illness is the reason you have a job!

I’m not weak. I’m strong. I’ve been tortured by an invisible foe for a decade. I’ve been ridiculed, belittled, ignored, and judged. I’ve lost the life I made for myself and my dreams for the future. I’ve lost my youth decades before my time. I’ve lost the activities I loved. But I haven’t lost my empathy.

I have fibro since 2/09. The fakes need to have all their symptoms bite them at one time in a place like rehab or some island they can’t escape from.

The pills that help the most in my opinion is Neurontin. Alieve is helpful if things start to get uncomfortable, you know the warning signs. As for the rest… It helps some but doesnt feel like it works.

I live with roommates and their children in addition to my own child and husband. My one room mate claims to have Rheumatoid Arthritis and fibro. At first I believed her and felt for her pain. But I started noticing troubling things. She only seems to show symptoms when she knows we are there. I have watched her when she thinks none of us are looking and she seems fine. I also looked up the signs of RA and she doesn’t display any of them. The swollen and creaking knuckles to be specific. She also says that he hands lock up and she they lock up her fingers over lap. I have seen older folks with RA and their fingers tend to look claw like and curl under. The fibro, I don’t know what that entails exactly. I believe it is the nerve endings sending pain signals with out having reason to. But she says that the percocets are the only things that work. She has also told us that she has a history of heart attacks and afib. In October she said she was having a lot of trouble with her knee and I saw it it was swollen. But it seemed to go away after taking some pain medication. Now it is that she might be going back into afib and need to go to the er. What do you guys think? Am I being dooped.

to Frustrated Lady- I have dealt with it 20+ years (still feel a hysterectomy brought it on – imho) I agree with you I have known a few Rheumatoid friends and they had the classic claw signs, as well as other parts over years show degrading and become unusable. Maybe like me she really has Osteo arthritis – I have recently started getting fingers locked up as well but attribute that to getting older I guess. The fibro pain is pretty much a constant tho it does wax and wane and stresses can make it get worse as does damp and cold weather – I see it as more of a muscle arthritis than anything. The worst thing for it is sitting still – you will stiffen up good trust me you need to keep moving, use heat, slow your pace tho no more marathons. Different meds work for different people. I cannot tolerate the antidepressants they try to mostly use. It is quite possible she is taking too much of her med – maybe it causes the afib but I don’t know that for sure. There are times a flare up makes you worse and it can last a while. Its a sucky disease or malady if you will to live with, but you can manage it with help from others in their understanding (ie: we may say we are willing to go out Friday but then Friday comes and we now don’t feel like anything more than a bowl of ice cream and a good show on tv), we get depressed because we can’t do things as well as we use to – but we can still do them (ie: housework etc.) and manage it yourself with knowing your limitations (ie: no marathon yard work but do for an hour then rest then go back to it) so as far as being duped? hard to say you really didn’t give enough info for that. Remember there are a lot of illnesses that people may look fine, when really they aren’t.

I have had head-to-toe fibromyalgia for 8 years. I had to go to a pain clinic to get anything that would touch my pain. My pain came suddenly, I felt very sick,in incredible pain, and I felt like it was a horrible case of the flu. I didn’t go to work that day, but to my Dr. Science says many with FM have had a traumatic event, neck surgery. My day came after a car struck my body as I crossed the parking lot in from of our grocery. I was pitched onto the hood. I feel hard on cement when it stopped. I have tender points all over my body. The Pain clinic was merciful in giving back my life.
Pain is exhausting and is a constant stress on the body as it ‘deals’ with it.

Too late to discuss what others think about it. I built a website for these dear people to learn to cope and deal with their life from this point.

I have chroic pain for 10+ years now..I am not overweight and 170cm tall female in her early 30’s.. after so long… I discovered the only natural pain relief is rubbing castor oil exrernally on the painful areas & to drink lowfat &/gluetin free milk heated (to the max) witha tspn of turmeric powder mixed into it.
I refuse to take anything called drugs for my pain… although >50% of my days are very uncomfortable (i.e. feverish and bruising like pain all over my body, esp. my neck, shoulders & back).
I recommend this pain relief more than anything tried!

I am a nurse and I agree 110%. I have chronic pain from multiple car accidents.. Have broken my neck, wrist, elbow, arm and ribs. I use no narcotics.. I use Advil when my stomach can handle it, Traumeel homeopathic ointment like body cream very day, hot showers, and grit my teeth. I am soooooo tired of hearing my patients complain about their “fibro”. Believe me, I would love to jump on the “narco” train but I have more respect and dignity for my body than that. And I am not a junkie.

THANK YOU for saying this. I’m a chemist recently turned pharm tech due to the economy, and I work at a retail pharmacy in the ghetto. We can’t keep the CII drugs in stock for these losers. The best part is how they’re all on Medicaid, where they spend their daylight hours doctor shopping on the taxpayer’s dime. As someone with a background in the hard sciences- rather than the magical, mystical bullshit which seems to be “modern” medicine- I’ve been left scratching my head at how fibro could EVER be seen as a legitimate disease. The diagnosis for it is on par with chiropractic nonsense, for God’s sake! And notice how all the fribo “sufferers” on here badmouthing you are a bunch of drama queens, whining about how much they hurt and how butthurt they are that you called them out, blah, blah blah? Well, there ya go. I can say I have a unicorn in my basement. That doesn’t mean I actually have one, no matter how hard I imagine or believe it.

My rheumatologist suggested the dreaded F word in addition to provable spondyloarthropathy AS and SLE type symptoms; I advised her that ‘No’, as I’d been given the morontin, the pharmacy cabinet of anti-inflammatories and tried positive thinking believing that if it’s in my head and I can control the flares etc. Not so – I take pain killers to remain productive not for recreational purposes, and they want to give me anti-TNF.

The reason why I really don’t want to be lumped in with the Fibro crowd is that they seem so self congratulatory on their illness and it’s almost a oneupmanship on symptoms, pity, and they detract and hijack attention from illnesses such as SLE. One forum has chosen a purple butterfly symbol for Fibro, who with Fibro has a butterfly rash? Rosacea maybe, it’s only very few specific illnesses that have the rash so to deflect and add to what to amounts a pity party just riles me.

Re the flatmate with RA, how do you know she’s acting to the audience as you aren’t there 24/7? I would query the Fibro but not anything for which there are positive blood test markers, you can’t fake those.

I just wanted to say I agree with you. But I also want to say there are those with legit problems. Me being one. I suffered a car accident 5 years ago and suffer daily pain. However I do take gabapentin which helps to some degree! I would gladly hand my pain pill prescription back if I was able to go back to being pain free! I hate the way they make me feel, tired brain fog. I know some of that definitely comes from the pills! I hate it. I HATE the head buzz!

You’re an ass. I stopped reading your comment when I got to part where you mention ” people getting off the short bus “. My son is disabled and he does ride a small bus to school. For being as educated as you claim to be, you sure are stupid. People like you need to pull their heads out of their asses and wipe the shit from their eyes. Ignorant bastard.

I was not sure what to put for a Website..I hope I did that right. I have been told I have FM. I’m also an RN. I agree with so many of your comments…”I just can’t exercise”….I need pain medicine and my doctor sucks and will not give me any”…”This brain fog is terrible today”, after taking two Vicodan….I am so sick of the constant complaining on some of these sites..Thanks for this today….

Ok you non believer! Get ready to change your views. Amen! I am ready to see some Dr.’s and ignorant buffoons like you do the two-step eat their words dance. Don’t bother to respond.. NO ONE wants to hear your ape-brain thoughts. I bet your relatives wore white cone like hats that covered their faces.. A**HOLE!

I know that it was from a few years back but I highly doubt this nameless, faceless person’s opinion changed much over the years.. These etched in statements of opinions are quite awarding when we get to frame their “educated” views with a smile and present their own opinions back to them with this simple comment , “Get ready to eat your words.”

My mother in law “has” fibromyalgia, which hilariously, chrome does not believe is a real word.

I don’t doubt that there is something wrong with her. She has palpable muscle knots from, I guess, clenching up all the time. Nonetheless, I still think her problems are more in line with what you’re saying–her life sucks and she wants medication. I don’t doubt that she’s in pain, I just think that a lot of it is caused by her god-awful life and a possible addiction to the pharmacy they’ve got running in her own little body.

She’s not fat, though she does sleep all day. I just want what’s best for her, even if that’s the hard truth–and I’m really tired of doctors solving her problems chemically.

Most of the people that suffer from “True” Fibromyalgia were work-a-holics and over-achievers when they were able to function in the daily work force. “Frankly, people who claim it doesn’t exist ought to be kept sleep deprived for a few weeks… which the research suggests will develop fibromyalgia symptoms even in healthy people. Or have a case of the flu that lasts for four years. Perhaps then you will develop some compassion.” Wonderful! I’ve often said, if they force the migraines or the sleep deprivation on prisoners, they would not become second offenders! My son and I both have chronic pain and we don’t sleep. It’s crazy! Those without compassion should be very wary for one day they too may have an invisible disease that torments you every minute of the day. I miss my career and the salary that came with it. At 33, and as a single mom, I was not ready to become disabled. God Bless! Sandy

Thank God someone had the balls to put this on-line! I’m with you its a fkn joke. Did you see that new movie ‘Identity Theft’ (with the funny tubby actress from Bridesmaids) she is running, at high speed, then stops for a minute to complain how her ‘Fybromyalgia is killing her’ then starts running again! Class! Subtle but I know a Fybromyalgia bullshitter\sufferer and that joke didn’t go un noticed lol

My mother claimed for years and years and years to have fibromyalgia. When I would ask if she was diagnosed she said they could never find anything wrong with her. I did some research and what I discovered is her case is more lethargy, laziness, dependence, and no will power.

I have physical pain in my back and knee, this is primarily attributed as service connected disabilities because my job in the Army had me up and down steel vehicles, bouncing around the inside, lifting, jumping, running, etc. Eventually my back went out on me and has been doing so since. One day my knee swelled to the size of a softball and ever since I have had knee pains. I have attention issues at times. I have anxiety, depression, and insomnia. All of these things wrong with me fall right into fibromyalgia’s ball park…but my diagnoses have never shown to be fibromyalgia.

I have a friend now who says she has it, but again all of her symptoms can be attributed to other issues.

Back to my point, I had to look into my mother’s history to decide whether or not she was being truthful or just finding a way to classify why she is how she is. As far back as I can remember she would spend hour after hour, day after day, in bed doing nothing but reading the paper, watching TV, ingesting chocolate, or vinegar, ham, and frozen raspberries, and all sorts of other non-healthy foods mixed together. She didn’t exercise, she didn’t even move around during the day. Her muscles hurting, could be because of lethargy and muscle degradation. Her laziness is just laziness, she is pain because she was lazy for years and is lazy now because she is in pain. Her diet has never been healthy and of course her body wont function at the correct level because she has never maintained it properly. She has depression because she is lazy and she is lazy because of the depression. She has anxiety because she never does anything or goes anywhere. She has insomnia because her body isn’t exerting itself properly nor does it drain out the battery to let her get rest, BECAUSE SHE IS LAZY.

My perspective of fibromyalgia is that yes it is complete bullshit. 100% of the people I know who claim they have fibromyalgia are unhealthy, do not exercise, spend more time stagnant and have spent more time stagnant than the body can stand and so in the end their bodies reject themselves. The engine can’t run unless you put the right fuels into it and run it properly…if you do not do this then you can bet you will get problems…but to claim that the problem is eliminating your abilities to do anything at all…well you might as well just kill yourself now because you are not going to get any better relying on a crutch.

My back is in intense pain more often than not, but I still need to make a living and I push myself past the pain. Yea I may have a higher tolerance for pain, but we are as humans are capable of will power. Some nights I cannot sleep because of my anxiety and insomnia, but I don’t use that as a crutch, I use it as a motivation to exert myself more the next day to wind my body down so much the batteries are dead and my brain has to sleep. I don’t believe fibromyalgia is worth it as an excuse, just admit your lazy and your body hates you for that…get over yourself and work through the pain…if you can’t bite through it then reassess where you went wrong with life and try to repair the damages that you did to yourself. If this is too much because of your “disease” but youre able to complain about it all the time…kill yourself and save us the trouble of having to listen to you bitch and bitch and bitch about how you are miserable and in pain and blah blah blah….sorry, I have no sympathy. My pain comes from real reasons, my physical pains are because of things that caused me physical pain, my attention is limited because I have ADHD, I have anxiety, I have depression, and I have insomnia…none of these symptoms will make me stop existing and stop trying. Instead they make me pay more attention to ensuring I live more of a healthy lifestyle…fibromyalgia is a cop out for laziness. End of rant, get off your ass fucktard.

I know this is an old post. But, I just had to say I completely agree with everything you wrote. I am sick & tired of seeing people complain of Fibro pain. I know one lady that posts about Fibro pain constantly on her FB & it irritates the hell out of me because I know she is just lazy. I’m not saying there aren’t real cases of people with pain of unknown origin, but a vast majority are in “pain” because of an unhealthy lifestyle. People with real diseases such as MS suffer in pain silently while many (not all) Fibro patients exaggerate pain on a daily basis.

Chronic pain and chronic fatigue syndrome are considered components of depression in other countries. From one health care professional to another, this may not be the right field for you if you have such terrible feelings toward you patients.
Regards.

Pharmacists, for quite some time, are required to get a Pharmacy Doctorate (aka PharmD) in order to be a licensed pharmacist. They are not medical doctors, yes, but their level of education is at the professional level as well, with much more training in medications than a physician. A pharmacist’s job is to provide advice on medicine, and the DEA and federal govt in general holds them liable as well; they can go to jail and/or lose their license for ignoring red flags on drug seeking behavior and blindly filling scripts. Pharmacists don’t diagnose, but they sure as hell know more than an MD on the proper medications, dosages, etc appropriate for a specific diagnosis. Don’t be fooled by the Walgreens drive thru and think they are uneducated fast food workers.

I agree with you, it is fibro-full-of-shit. When I got out of the Army (after getting ran over by a car) I quit running 2-5 miles a day and gained weight. No surprise I started to hurt all over. Rather than refer me to physical therapy to get my body back into shape they started pushing pills and called it Fibromyalgia. I was so humiliated, in my mind the Doc said “your a hypochondriac”. I threw all that crap in the trash and have not been back to the VA since. Considering the Doc was about 300 pounds, him telling me to lose weight was harder than it sounds, unfortunately it’s what most of us need to hear. Pharmacists don’t have to fill prescriptions for junkies any more either. I think it will make for an interesting scene.

That’s because you are full of shit about any symptoms that you had. It’s not fake, you are. Just because you can’t articulate an injury and pain, that’s on you. You were lazy to not push for yourself. Its your fault. They don’t give the necessary meds without a big struggle. You are the reason people who suffer have a bad connotation. So go bitch elsewhere.

I love your article! I am an ER nurse & a survivor of a near fatal car crash. I broke my hips, pelvis, both femurs, all my ribs, my right tin-fib, my right humerus . I had an ‘ open abdomen’, necrotizing pancreatitis, fractured kidneys , liver laceratio, splenectomy, 9 chest tubes, intubated for 3 months in ICU. I rehabilitated myself, returned to work in 10 months & take only ibuprofen rarely for my pain. I was denied SSDI twice because all the ‘ poor people on OxyContin for Fibromyalgia were getting my SSDI that I had worked for for 30+ years!! Angry Hell yeah, but I know I can hold my head up & sleep @ night because I’m not an addict & am contributing to society & when I die I will hear’Well done good & faithful servant’

1st I have to say your right alot people out there who do need pain medication are being denied due to prescription addition its sad but true 2nd Lyrica is now being abused because it does gives a bigger high (never taken it! just read a study) addicts will find anything to get high on(glue- gasoline) If anyone has to take pain medication take it as directed and have the descipline to stop when you dont need it anymore. Because fibromyalgia is hard to diagnose there all some people trying to take advantage but here is true story and out of despect i will not give a name only that she was my sister, she was beautiful and a great person but she began having horrible pain in the mornings she said it felt like her muscles and bones were stiff and when she tried to stretch or move it just made her screem, she went to a doctor who couldn’t find what was wrong with her, they did all kinds of test finally he said it was psychological all in her head and no one could help her so he put her on prozac or advil, six month latter she committed suicide and i can’t blame anyone at the time fibromyalgia wasn’t something alot of doctors knew about but one thing i could say is that if it toke vicodin to keep her from being in pain and still be around well i could give a shit who would have believed her or not because she was a better person that any asshoe who complaints about other peoples lives. I say live your life treating everyone with respect, you don’t have to like them or even be there friends just respect a person because until you walked a mile in another persons shoes you don’t know shit and i say this with respect… so for every person on this website bashing addicts, how low do you have to be to feel the need to make fun of someone who has a problem with addition or anything else.

I have pain and I was diagnosed with myofascial pain syndrome; the doctor told me is pretty much similar to fibromyalgia. Living a good life with chronic pain is difficult and it is made all the worse by the attitudes displayed in the comments section here.

On one hand I am ashamed of my ‘diagnosis’ because to so many people it implies you are either an attention seeking hypochondriac, a druggy or just plain mental. On the other hand I have joined a few fibromyalgia support groups and it does seem some of the stereotypes outlined here are true. Many of them are middle aged women who seem to to relish every opportunity to complain and indulge in symptom one-upmanship. – Nothing every ‘works’ (except diazepam, morphine, etc) and their pain is always 10/10.

I suspect because of the lack of an objective diagnostic test there are those who really do have something (physical or mental) wrong that is causing real pain and a significant number of those who jump on the bandwagon for secondary gain.

What I would say is this, just because you can’t see it or run a blood test for something doesn’t mean it is fake. Plenty of diseases now recognised as real used to be considered mental illness and even if fibromyalgia is psychogenic the pain is still felt as ‘real’.

Please do think before lumping everyone together. Even if 9/10 fibro suffers are ‘fake’ that still leaves 1 person who is experiencing chronic pain which is denied by everyone and has little hope of ever being cured.

I am one of your hated patients. In 2007 I was dx. with Fibro (which I couldn’t accept), it didn’t make sense since I also had a high WBC. . I had 2 small children, one severe special need. She didn’t meet any. milestones and had her first seizure the day of her first set of immunizations(she was normal until then). Fast forward 4 years and I had to start taking narcotics, she needed my help to diaper her, feed her (she eats through a g-tube) bathe her, dress her and do all her care. I found out I was allergic to over 20 meds and could only take a handful of meds. I’ve failed everything except fentanyl and Oxycodone. That includes Lyrica and Neurotin. Then about a year later I got hit with another disease that nobody knows about it has just been started to be understand. It’s called Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome. It’s partially treated with Depakote (which thankfully I can take. It usually results in 3,4,5,6 hospitalizations a year with intractable vomiting and severe low potassium. My last hospital stay was 31 days. When I come in to. your pharmacy and you don’t have my narcotics and Zofran ready and I am having a very loud pain day it is devastating! I’m not a junkie, I hurt and your holding up my relief.
Also I am on welfare, my daughter and I I are both on social security. My husband doesn’t work, except as a caregiver for my daughter.
It’s people like you who are so judgemental you make the human race look bad. Trust me people we’re not all so callous.

As you probably know by now, narcotics don’t work on Fibromyalgia patients and doctors should not prescribe them. Hopefully this trend is weeding out the drug addicts. In the last few years all kinds of interesting studies have been done on fibro. It is a spectrum syndrome. Sleep studies show fibro patients don’t sleep like others because they never experience deep sleep. Alpha wave are part of their delta sleep – which is why some of them wake exhausted. Fibro tends to manifest itself in the first born daughter and is now diagnosed in children. Fibro patients have elevated substance P in their spinal cord fluid and MRI imaging reveals while some pain centers in their brains are overactive others are completely inactive.

Drug addicts manipulate and abuse any scenario they can. They seek out physicians who will give them what they want. Try not to let these pariahs jade you. Ultimately, the physicians who write these scripts are responsible and should be held accountable.

Wow. Such heated discussion! Great post, however.
I was dx with Fibro right after it was ‘discovered’ but suffered the pains and symptoms with no real ‘diagnosis’ for 5 years before it’s discovery. I appreciate your viewpoint. I, however- am unlike some Fibro patients- I disdain meds! I’ve been on Morphine (made me itchy), Kaidan (made me dizzy and itchy-yes I know it’s long acting morphine), and several other narcotics to no avail. The only thing that worked was Gabapentin and the side effects were not pleasurable (swelling and out of it)…so I switched to Savella with an occasional (gasp!) Soma when needed. I’ve tried EVERYTHING…and even the herbal preparations (which I much rather PREFER)…all this…and mind you- I’m in recovery from using alcohol to numb the pain (5 years ago)- so regardless of what some may think about most Fibro patients being quacks or in it for the drugs…I’m not. And even though I was given narcotics for the pain from Fibro..I never got addicted to them. Pills aren’t my thing.
I’d much rather eat a flower (uh, not of the poppy variety) than swallow a pill.
But since we are a country of free speech…I do appreciate your voicing your opinion on the matter and your standpoint. Thank you for making me think!
(oh, and I agree wholeheartedly with FIBROFREAK?)

Hi, I just wanted to comment. I know this post is old but I want to add something hopefully new. You said that: There are two types of people who have “Fibromyalgia” – Those who actually have something wrong with them, and those who just use it an an excuse to get narcotics. I must say that I have seen a whole lot more of the latter than the former. From just my own experience, it effects the poor more than the rich, and only Vicodin/Valium/Soma combination will ease their pain. To hell with Lyrica or anything else like Ibuprofen.

You’re right and wrong in my opinion. I have fibromyalgia and I am an example of both types of Fibro sufferers. I was not a workaholic or chronic worker, had never hurt myself, etc. But (and this is a big but) I was a drug addict. I gradually started hurting, being tired, etc and didn’t know what was wrong with me and went to a Rheumatologist and was diagnosed with Fibro. My body was super sore and just touching me in certain spots hurt. Now here’s where I screwed up. Being an addict I loved the way pain killers made me feel and you were right. Nothing else would help my Fibro because I didn’t want anything else. I was on painkillers for years before realizing I was physically addicted. I went on Methadone (Mistake number 2) and finally to suboxone which helped me get clean at last.

Ok, since coming off of all pain killers and having a more open mind I found that non narcotics did ease my pain, actually much better than narcotic painkillers ever did. I hurt less, have more energy and just feel so much better. My testosterone is now ruined from all of the opiates and I have to get shots twice a weak. I’m also now allergic to everything. So for everyone who thinks Fibro is a free ride with the happy pills I just want to tell you that NOTHING is for free. I’m paying for my poor choices every single day and you know what? Just changing my lifestyle is the ONLY thing that has ever truly made a difference with my Fibro. I exercise, eat better and just generally take care of myself now and I feel so much better. I can function, I can work and I can now have a life. My flare ups aren’t debilitating anymore and I don’t experience hardly any brain fog, at least no more than a middle aged man would experience anyway. I do believe that Fibro is real but there are so many better ways to treat it than pain pills. It’s widely accepted that lifestyle changes are the best medicine for Fibro and I’m living proof of that. All the vicadin and soma in the world didn’t help me to function, in fact it hurt me and I’m still dealing with the consequences of my past addictions. Take it for what it is. Opiates cause long term problems and or death. Exercise and diet cause long term good health.

I don’t believe “fibro” is a disease, just a composition of symptoms; sprinkled with psych. comorbidities. I’m young and have ms which can be tested objectively; MRI, csf. I am on 1 8k per month drug, and not a lot more. My neuro gave me topical lido. neck pain. A relative (on disability for fibro) said “they make patches with that you know,I’ll bring you one”. When I saw what she had I said they’re not synonymous fenatanyl is not lidocaine. I work 40 hour a week, she’s on disability for fibro!!!! First ebt cards being used for cigarettes, now anyone can get disability!

Amen sister. My mom has what I call ‘fibro of convenience’ and she’s onto the fact that I’m on to her so she emails and facebooks me all these ‘studies’ about fibro. She lives down the street but can’t get out of her bed other than to mix her drinks and shop on amazon. I could go on. She’s in her early 60’s and expects to be waited on. Paaaasha

I agree with the article. I am not saying people dont have problems where they arent in pain. But I know someone who says they have fibro and honestly…..I think she is faking and only gets symptoms when she cant go out and party because she has no one to watch her little one. For her it is a reason to be lazy and for people to feel sorry for her. Infact her other family member all have some kind of Pain problem I am so sick of fake people

my former best friend was that way too she always had some kind of health issue if it wasn’t a headache or cold it was a stomach ache or whatever else she could make up and constantly ran to the doctors if that was not bad enough she did it t her kid too, constantly saying he was sick ! now he is grown and is the same as her running off to the doctor for every little thing having fake panic attacks lying about colds and sore throats etc etc ! he wont work just like her and expects money to be given to him even expects everyone to run to the store for him just because of silly things like his hair did not turn out right or he has a pimple oh and he is 20 years old!

I suffer from fibromyalgia and, therefore, also suffer from the side effects of chronic use of pain medications. My Dr recommended Lady Soma’s Probiotics supplement, but after trying a probiotic it really didn’t work, but the Lady Soma Fiber Cleanse did!

I take 2 Lady Soma Fiber Cleanses twice daily and it has definitely consistently worked. Without this product, I faced having to reduce the dose of my pain medication (tramadol) to a less effective dose. Doing that would have greatly impacted my quality of life.

This is why I go to a Dr who doesn’t believe in pain meds. He finds other ways for me to deal with pain. I know that there are people who do need them. But they are over prescribed. And I’m one of the working poor. So not all poor people are drug addicts.

I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I’m managing drug free, and I am terrified of them. I have seen too many people that have drug addictions that started with a prescription. I work a full time job. I have good days and bad. My pain is real, but I refuse to let it get me down and constantly whine to get sympathy. I suffer silently and with a smile on my face. I really enjoyed your article.

I think the point is adults should be able to take whatever we want. Who are you are anyone to tell me what i can or cant take? i dont get it its my body, let me take this or that if i please. that doesnt make any sense to me never has. i had fibro i think while i was taking pain pills soon as i got off the pills i dont have the aches anymore. its that syndrome where taking the meds for pain is now causing the pain.

I like your articles man, you seem to express the same emotions on subjects like this that I would normally express. And the reason I found this article is because I realized my deadbeat mom claimed to have “fibromyalgia” , but I now realize she was probably bitching like a whiny cunt about it so she could get her hands on valium and Vicodin. You’re definetely right though! I think alot of these patients are bullshit’ing the docs’ just to get high as a kite.

That’s another “side effect” of being a junkie. Becoming a compulsive liar. Lying 24/7 so you can get high. Lying so much that you actually believe your own lies.

Ask a junkie WHY they get high and they will almost always give you an excuse. Kurt Cobain had a “stomach condition” that no doctor could ever find. Heroin (ie opiates) was the only way to “stop the pain”. Most have “a bad back”.

The U.S. is the most drug soaked society on planet earth. As a side-effect, we also have the highest ratio of compulsive liars who are constantly DOPE SICK and “need” to “stop the pain”.

Telling a doctor that you have Fibromyalgia is the same EXACT thing as telling them that “me feeling hurt”.

I have been suffering from fibromyalgia or something for the last couple of years, I had an active life , a climber , a hiker…etc
I went to a number of doctors they all said it’s fibroShit! and i’m on gabapten 300 and tryptizol. but i took a decision to stop them, it’s utter hell! not just that the pain is getting worse, the burning sensation and it’s not just in a specific area it’s all over my body joints.it also it makes me so nauseous. i’ve lost around 6 kilos so far.
is it ALL in my head?! it can’t be, it’s extremely painful ! and the nausea part is just getting out of hand, my hair is falling my nails are cracking! and soon i will be shopping from the kids section.
Is there some kind of way other than narcotics ? I just started yoga and gym. trying to be active again despite the pain. i’m losing it seriously ! i cannot think or eat because of the pain

Interesting. I was falling in 2002, in severe pain (smooth muscle tissue) and had mobility issues. I was tested by a team of people, MRI, CAT scanned. All thought I had MS. Everyone was so sympathetic, especially when they found lesions on my brain that suggested I did indeed have MS. After a spinal tap revealed that I didn’t have the disease, it was like oh well. must be Fibro. My mother was actually Dx in 1989 with it (way way before it was even heard of) so she was basically the only person that sympathized with me. I’ve been tested or Lupus, Hep C…Lime Disease. Auto Immune stuff.rheumatoid arthritis. Nothing. Ergo, I’m left in pain when I have flair ups and with fatigue I can’t even explain. I exercise and eat a clean diet. I hated Lyrica. I am on Myloxicam which helps at night. I did take Vicodin now and then when my pain was severe but only 1/2 tablet. I’ve stopped because of the hassle of getting a script even IF I only use 30 tablets a year. I also think that people need to STFU about the diagnosis until they’ve lived it and been tested for everything for years and are given no answers.

I realize this is an old article. My reason for posting is that there have been a number of changes. It’s easy to call an illness a load of crap when it’s a diagnosis of exclusion. In other words nothing else fits Back when the article was posted, much less was known about Fibromyalgia than there is today. They have since shown that a number of the FMS patients do have an issue with the nerves in their body. That this can be tested for with a biopsy.

Vicodin (Hydrocodone), Valium, Soma – Would these drugs help someone with real FMS? Well of course. Hydrocodone kills pain. Valium and Soma will help with the sleep disturbances. Are they the best treatment, probably not in most cases but it should be pointed out these drugs all have ONE thing in common. They are cheap. Especially when compared to Lyrics and other drugs that might be more effective. So yes, it’s no surprising to see poor people who may not have a health care plan at all on these drugs. Do this make them JUNKIES? I don’t think so. And guess what one of the new drugs that is being abused is? Lyrica. No surprise there. I guess they must all be junkies.

But lets take this a step further and address JUNKIES. People with a drug habit. Well it’s also now being found that some people may have genetic factors for this. How can one person get given the drug for say broken arm and then never have a need and the next person becomes an addict? Does it have to do with their moral character or their body. Evidence is the latter is most often the cause. And we see just as many wealthy people with this problem as we do poor.

So before you go bashing large group of people, first stop thinking yourself superior. Realize these people, whether FMS or Drug Addiction need help and medical care. The current knowledge of Drug Addiction is evolving. They are not the dregs of society we think they are. And if you don’t agree, consider that your basis is akin to the Nazis. Because one person may have a predisposition to one disorder does not make you superior to them.

It’s amazing to me how many people whop posted here have no empathy for their fellow man. Perhaps you should consider joining ISIS. I am sure there is a Christian version for those of you who have a religious issue.

FMS is real. Often mistreated. And ultimately we all are responsible for the state of our healthcare in the US. Think about it.

That statement shows you have not suffered with the disease as it takes on very different characteristics than depression. While FMS patients do have some depression it is not the underlying cause of the disease. The depression is quite common in nearly all chronic pain conditions.

It is important to know that some antidepressants have pain reliving qualities to them. Because of this, they are often prescribed when there is some level of nerve pain. The fact that physicians subscribe these to FMS patients gives a false sense of FMS being a mental disease when it is not. It is a neurological that causes sleep issues and generally muscle pain as that is where the nerves effected tend to be located.

These are the same nerve clusters that cause your body to shunt blood flow to your core when you get very cold. For some reason FMS patients tend to have more of these nerves and they tend to be triggered by slight changes in temp or pressure.

Read some of the latest studies. You will see they are on the verge of determining the cause of FMS and that will lead to possible treatments.

Pray you never get fibromyalgia, so that you will not suffer Like I have . You my also pray that you wont treated like a drug addict when you are in terrible legitimate pain. Please stop judging until you’ve walked a mile in the shoes of someone that is trying to cope in the world with so much suffering. It’s called compassion.

I only wish fibro was just in my mind. Twenty years of daily and nightly misery. Anyway, I found that the narcotics did not help me very much, so you aren’t talking about me, right?! The only pain reliever that helps me is tramadol. Sometimes if I take a big dose of Ibuprofen, it helps but then it burns my stomach of.

Fibro-fog is real. I wake up occasionally and my brain feels like mud. My short-term memory is virtually non-existent and I embarrass myself continually, trying to think of names of people I have been acquainted with for years. Words of stuff escape me too.

Fibromyalgia affects people so many different ways it may not be “real” but a confused label for several different conditions. When I first started having symptom, I also had miserable night sweats that lasted all night long.
This makes me think it is a sneaky virus that stays in your body cells.

I had just started university as a art and psychology major when I got this disease. I was thrilled to be returning to school to study what I had always wanted to study. Fibromyalgia made everything so much harder. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.

Its twenty years later and I still have it. I weaned myself off of Tramadol. I take turmeric everyday and after months of taking it I am beginning to have some pain relief.

I don’t know why I am writing this to you. I guess it’s because even though you said you were talking about drug seekers, you still seemed awfully derisive of people with this ‘made up disease.’

Your writing tone reminds me of this angry ER doctor blog on blogger. Burned out doctors bitching about patients and welfare people and drug seekers….
I used to work at a State Hospital. I made good money there and had good benefits but when I reached a point where I was beginning to hate my job and truly dislike the patients, I decided it was time to quit. Maybe it is time for you to think about a career change. Or not. Maybe you feel more at home being angry and disgusted all the time.

There is one way you can physically tell a person really has this disease. My rheumatologist showed it to me. Your muscles will be in clusters of tight knots on your legs and maybe your arms, too.

I was reading an article about in a scientific magazine a few years back about how neuroscientists have discovered that fibromyalgia patients brains aged 5 times faster than other people’s and they had the brain scans to prove it. Fibro-fog not real? Yeah right.

Sometimes I wish I knew less about it.

Anyway, I had a good think about why I came here. Your blog title is Angry Pharmacist–you are upfront with your feelings. Maybe this blog is your therapy and release. Maybe it helps you be nice at work. Where I worked before we would give people an angry towel all bundled up with stretchy loops and they could just wap on their beds or walls when they were frustrated…anywhere but at other people. Maybe this blog is your “angry towel.”

I know about drug seeking. Ha. I used to know people who would stab other patients with sharpened pencils or sucker punch staff or tear up the TV room just so they could get shot up with thorazine or ativan.

I know a lady now diagnosed with back pain and fibro that loves the narcotics. She will have her husband pick up her pain meds and then take a few out. Then she will make her husband go back to the pharmacy claiming that they shorted her on the pill count. People like her can be quite obnoxious and even a bit scary.

why I read your post and now am making my second comment on it is kinda crazy for me. I need to get off here and do something productive.

This world is full of some real jack-asses! FYI Fibromyalgia is as real as any other serious disease. I am 60 yrs young male and diagnosed with severe FMS back in 1987 by my rheumatologist. I was going through hell trying to find a doctor that could explain to me what I had and how to treat it. She was a huge breath of fresh air after visiting many doctors in search of the answers. Oh 6′ tall and weigh 225 lbs. So I could stand to loose 30 or 40 pounds, I have already lost 50 pounds over the last year. Yes I do take a few meds so I can actually function, without the meds forget it, my muscles are so inflamed that I ca n not move. Oh and the old school doctors are a waste of my time. Too bad you are such a jerk and so ignorant.

Pfft. You’re a not doctor, you’re a pharmacist. You give out pills because you couldn’t cut it as a doctor. A doctor would know some medicines don’t work for everyone.

And a respectable profession my foot. Any idiot can doll out pills and look in their computers for the interactions. I’ve seen people of your ‘respectable profession’ eating high allergen foods then counting out pills with their bare hands. Pure genius.

Then there are plenty of people who get highs from the non-narcotics you mentioned. You don’t know anything about these medications or diseases other than what your computer tells you. How pathetic!

Hello,
I really don’t understand why anyone could be so angry! In any group of people there is variation. I know first hand what real pain is! I have multiple medical conditions – Fibromyalgia is just one of them. FYI – often Fibromyalgia is a ‘group of symptoms’ that originate from other disorders, hypothryroidism, autoimmune and endocrine disorders, genetic disorders, and permanent damage to both my head and my right hand from trauma. Since childhood, I spent most of my time reading. I couldn’t play with other children due to chronic pain. I was top in my class. I also was fat, with class II diabetes at 12! But having a strong will, I put a great deal of effort into weight loss. I tried exercise, but had to quit due to my heart rate racing to 200 bpm. I did however learn to eat very little, so now at 52, my BMI is 21. I never ‘partied’, I never experimented with alcohol or drugs. I just wanted what my peers had; health! I had class II diabetes, weighed 210 lbs, and was quite miserable. I lost the weight, lost the diabetes, but I never could do it via exercise, just self control. I retired now, I wish I could work. I can’t handle the stress of work, nor do I have the endurance. It’s embarrassing! I’m well into a seven figure portfolio. However, when I read what you write, it appears that my life is not of value because i need relief from chronic pain. I have no desire to ‘get high’, but it would be nice to enjoy an evening at the Symphony – I mean ENJOY an evening! However, I’m always in pain, and I don’t enjoy anything at all! I can’t remember when I ever did. I had always pushed myself to prove my life was worth living. That I was as good as those blessed with health. But that’s not good enough for ‘The Angry Pharmacist’ is it?

I’ve never known a day without chronic muscle pain, I’ve never gone more than six months without a life-threatening infection. Now, I have secondary pituitary failure. I took pain medication daily to get just a few hours of ‘functionality’ out of my day. I never felt ‘high’, just out of pain. Now, with the new laws, my doctor doesn’t want to prescribe any pain relievers anymore; the argument being – ‘Do you want to be on these for the rest of your life?’ Wait a minute. I’m 52 years old. I’ve been on Thyroid medication since I was eleven years old. I also will have to take a cortisol replacement steroid for the rest of my life. I have tried 6 different antidepressants (and I don’t feel depressed – just ANGRY!), I’ve tried gabapentin, and Lyrica – both drugs made me hallucinate, I’ve tried sooo many things for pain control. I even tried relocating for one year to a different country where they spoke a different language (the idea that perhaps a dramatic cognitive change would help my health). I spent a year living without any drugs at all. On my good days, I was able to get out of my apartment for two hours!!!!! The rest of the time, I lay in bed in misery. So, what do you prescribe for me????? I have an idea….I have more than one nationality, and all I need is 3 signatures from health care professionals to terminate all my misery….but the only reason I am thinking in this manner is due to the demonization of people like me that need permanent pain relief. In an ideal world, I think each and every health care provider needs to have training where he/she could feel ‘simulated pain’ for long enough to understand what it does to one’s psyche….unfortunately,, just as access to pain control is a human rights issue, I think such a training would fall into the same category….
So, what do you prescribe for me? The gas chamber? Why are you so full of hate and anger yourself? Isn’t hatred a psychiatric condition? There is way too much of it going around these days to have a healthy society. I’ve never been one to respond to blogs before, but your anger should be questioned by your readers, It’s ‘over the top’! Did someone hurt you in your past? Did you have a substance abusing relative????? What;s eating you? The best beginning to a healthier world is to reduce so much hate and anger,,,,,at least, have a bit more respect for your readers and write like a professional….leave behind the swear words, you’ll live up to your credentials then.

Yes !! I have LUPUS and was amazed at the list of symptoms I have struggled with are idenitical to those on Fibro Groups as of late. I asked my doc he sort of rolled his eyes and basically said patients come in diagnOsing themselves demanding they “have it” pushing for specualists. PISSES ME OFF WHERE I HAVE A LEGIT AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE .. And peiple are using and abusing the system because they have aches and pains.. NOT RALKING ABOUT THOSE DIAGNOSED WITH LEGIT PROBLEMS

Nice to meet you God. When did you appear on earth ….. such judgement, regardless of ANY disorder requiring medications there are and will always be some who fake their symptoms. Fibromyalgia is a real disease now acknowledged by Social Security. It’s very painful and tiring for those whom have it. Like with Interstitial cystitis not understood well by many doctors and general public, so can’t be real.
I hope throughout your life your spared any “orphan disease” or debilitating I’ll Ness, but should you be victim to any such condition, remember what you wrote here and how you lumped everyone into a welfare poor situation. Judge least not you be judged.

I read the disclaimer and am on neuotin/Valium/Norco/ Meloxicam combo. For you to say fibromyalgia is a joke diagnosis means you’ve never experienced it for you to dismiss my illness as nothing more than poppycock is insulting and short sighted.You want to know pain and I mean real pain come talk to me!!!

Wow. I am late on this. You are an asshole. I have FM, NOT ON ANY DRUGS. Managing this shit on my own. Read your disclaimer I work in pharmaceutical research.
Lyrica is absolute shit . You are still an asshole.

So you read his disclaimer from 10 years ago that he was NOT talking about you yet he’s still an asshole? Also he’s right even now about the people who claim this “disability” for drugs. I work with one who just conned her way into LTD on this diagnosis.

Now this is going to shock you but she’s an overweight woman age 50, a chronic liar and basket case. Also, she’s on so many pills it’s actually jaw dropping.

But your demographic information is based on anecdotal evidence, not statistical evidence, so it’s no surprise that your stereotype of the typical fibro patient is so utterly inaccurate.

I’m on a BUNCH of NECESSARY prescription meds for my fibromyalgia. I have no shame about this. I make no apologies. Judge me all you want, you stupid prick. You’re not a doctor.

I’m a bad-ass broad living my new life with as much joy and hope as I possibly can, despite being in utterly disabling pain every single day. You wouldn’t survive an hour in my shoes, you dumbf*ck human skin-tag.

You’re a dickwad douchebag piece of dog sh*t. Full of insecurity and even more full of ignorance. *Willful* ignorance. At this point in time, over 3,000 NIH studies exist confirming the existence of fibromyalgia. So STFU and do your damn job. You’re woefully ill-informed. If you’re angry about sooooo many aspects of your chosen career — being a pharmacist — how about you try a different career path, you stupid bag of horsesh*t? Then maybe my fellow fibromites unfortunate enough to get their meds filled at your pharmacy won’t have to put up with your dumbf*ckery anymore.

And yes, I am angry in this comment I am writing. In addition to the joy and hope I manage to find in each day of my life, I do get angry. After all, I’m not superhuman. Everyone gets angry sometimes. But whereas I am angry in this one comment on this one blog, you’re so damn angry you saw the need to create an entire blog brimming with posts spewing anger. In fact, you have a problem. It’s no longer anger for you. It’s rage.

And you can shove all that rage right up your ass, you douche-nozzle.

In conclusion:

Shut up, stop passing judgment on the sick, and DO YOUR DAMN JOB. (Or get a different job.)

Lol I’m super late but I have to say that all the pregabalin drugs, including lyrica, are pure garbage and have had several lawsuits filed against them for being the snake oil of the 21st century, look it up, gabapeniten is one of, if not the worst medication you can take for pain it has no sort of pain reliver of any kind and was developed for epilepsy and seriously marketed for everything else under the sun. Look it up, and stop taking them.

I just got a crash course in this “disease” at my job. A woman I work with, a chronic liar, hypochondriac, malingerer android pill popper went out on disability just in time to miss busy season . The day she left I heard her laughing onthe phone telling someone they could call me while she’s out. Thanks ! “I’ve never felt as good as I was whenI was in New Mexico , so I might go there while I’m out.”

Lazy slug . There might be some people with something going on but most likely it’s mental. Pretty much any sympathy I had was killed here.

The cowardice of people who use pseudonyms to leave abusive comments never ceases to amaze me. When I comment on anything I always use my real name. I would like to see all you cowards here who shout abuse hiding behind false names to make your comments to people’s faces on the street. Most of you probably wouldn’t dare. Until you have the guts to say what you believe on the streets rather than hiding behind the anonymity of these kind of sites then you will always lack credibility. I myself have severe sciatica down both legs and my whole backside is constantly raw so that it hurts to sit down. I get no relief, either sitting standing or walking but I do not complain, I just get on with it. I am not overweight, I am underweight. My pain may or may not be caused by a massive tarlov cyst on my spine which appeared after an accident had caused other damage. I have resisted taking medication and only started taking it again when i was literally screaming in pain. Human beings have taken drugs to change the way they feel since time immemorial. Illegality is the problem. The lawmakers create the problems. And if you want to point the finger regarding prescription drugs, try pointing it at the huge pharmaceutical companies. Nobody is perfect. I am not particularly religious but one saying comes to mind:

I have a pretty intensely long history with chronic low back pain post 2 failed back surgeries, have posterior tibial tendinitis in both ankles, had four unrelated foot surgeries, have arthritis in both hands, have had 2 right knee surgeries and here’s what I have to say about medical marijuana products like this here in https://www.bonzaseeds.com/blog/death-star/.. some of it is like using whatever over the counter stuff works best for your pain if there is something that does. Some isn’t made with any THC and some is (depends on who is making it). You can get either one. If for any reason you have to drug test don’t do it having had used something with THC in it. Whether it works for one person or not is probably pretty subjective though I have heard a lot of people say it does work for their discomforts. I find it helps my hands/fingers re arthritis. For my low back I often use a Thermacare heatwrap (has magnets) and that seems to help me quite a bit. I don’t think medical marijuana properties or ointment is snake oil tho I would suggest getting it from a reputable collective or person knowledgeable in this industry. Good luck!!!! Whatever helps you to keep moving and stay functional and isn’t creating worse problems for you! Medical marijuana products is pretty benign from what I can tell so if it works for you that’s great!

I hope you are still around around and looking at these comments all these years.

I called myself The Angry Patient not because I am angry with your post, but because I have just been slapped with this Dismissive BULLSHIT Diagnosis for the 3rd time with little investigation and I refuse to accept it.

You say even the person that invented or discovered Fibromyalgia says it is not real…. Are you able to give me any information as to who that was or any links to that particular reference, trying to learn what I can to substantiate my reason for rejecting this diagnosis of dismissal.

Im a nurse for 16 years now. I have met a patient with the diagnosis of fibromyalgia She heard about it, complained that she had the same symptoms and…it doesn’t seem to match. She gets hyper and cleans, gets bored and goes shopping and hardly complains when she wakes up. Sadly, after she got off the narcotics from a 96 hour hold, she still is mad she only can take non narcotics. She mostly complains of back pain.
I was diagnosed with somatization disorder 10 years ago. Recently, I have been told I have CFS. I have no idea what the truth is anymore. I have a nerve root disorder from an Injury in the cervical spine. Since my nerves are compressed, the pain radiates . It’s been 6 years that I have been exhausted all the time and never make it through a vacation without having to retreat to bed. Mornings suck! I do not want this life. So, I wonder myself, how many people don’t have fibromyalgia at all? I fake feeling better for my grandkids. Why would anyone want drugs that bad to hope for fibromyalgia. I prefer to be sober

HI Lindsay
I have sciatica radiating down both legs and it is agony to sit down because my bum hurts all the time. I had an accident a couple of years ago and this kind of pain only started about 7 months ago. I had various tests and now they have found a large TARLOV cyst on my spine. This may or may not be the cause of the pain because they are rare and not much is known about them. I am in England and I have been referred to a neurosurgeon in London who is the only person who knows about them here and can treat them. Have you got a copy of your MRI? If you have, have a read of it and see what it says. It was only through reading mine that I found the info about my TARLOV cyst which they would have ignored if I had not questioned them about it. Over here the NHS are so stretched that they don’t want to look at treatment options so they try and just get rid of you first unless you are persistent. I have never been diagnosed with fibro but I wonder if many people who are diagnosed with that may have other things going on that have just not been discovered or looked at properly.

As far as the ANGRY PHARMACIST is concerned. One he is a complete coward because he does not use his real name, but screams abuse at people. TWO:

I live in the UK and the problem over here is that the fibro fakers just want to live on disability benefits when the only thing their suffering from is lazyitis.
My work colleague suddenly got fibromyalgia after she learnt about it one day when she was watching the BBC and has done nothing but research and then fake the symptoms ever since.
Funnily enough, she’s always well at the weekends and during the school holidays when she isn’t working or when she’s meeting friends after work for drinks and a bit of bingo.
I do think there are people who genuinely suffer from fibromyalgia but people like my work colleague just make it difficult for the rest of us to take the condition seriously because of the unscrupulous, lazy sacks of shit like my colleague.
You definitely nailed it though when you said it affects the poor more than the rich.